Star Fox: Deception
by Baeowulf
Summary: Fox and Krystal have just been married when disaster strikes the Lylat system. They re on their honeymoon when a race of alien shapeshifters known as the Doppelgangers, or Shi'Krii, emerge from an unknown planet in Sector X, and no one can be trusted...
1. Prologue

Hooray! My first real story! Note, I'm not writing this alone, I have a friend co-authoring this with me (so if anything goes wrong, you can blame him!) Anywho, this is awesome, I hope you enjoy, and please do enjoy! (OR I WILL DESTROY YOU!)

Disclaimer: I know, you've all heard this before. But, since I don't want to be sued... I do **_NOT _**own ANY of the StarFox characters, and I do not own most of the planets/places introduced in this story. HOWEVER: I DO own Savant, Siren, Elasmus, the Shi'Krii empire, the Mysterious Planet, Azriel, the Queen, Psion, the _Ensthiasmus_, and anything else I decide to create.

Now, leaving you people wondering what all of those things are, we begin our feature presentation...

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Four months had passed since Star Fox had repulsed the Anglar forces, restoring peace once more to the Lylat system. Fox paced back and forth in his dorm room, obviously nervous and wearing a tuxedo. He held a small velvet box in his hands, and had a worried look on his face. "_Can I really do this?_"he thought to himself, confident that Krystal was not reading his thoughts. "_After all I did to her, do I really have the right?_" just as he was about to give in to his nervousness, Katt walked in to his door. Encouraged by their success and by Amanda's welcome to the squadron, Katt Monroe has joined their ranks. Her relationship with Falco remains unchanged, but only time may tell what will happen. Fox was startled. "Katt!" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?" Katt just leaned against the wall, examining her claws.

"Well for the first part," she said, amused, "you weren't thinking to yourself."

"Oh," Fox, said embarrassed.

"And second of all, I know what you were talking about. We ALL know, except Krystal, ironically. Just go for it, Fox. Don't make the same mistake that you did last time."

"I—Alright, I'll do it," Fox replied confidently as he left the room."Oh, and Katt—Thanks. Best of luck with Falco!"

"Whatever!" she laughed.

Fox jogged down the halls of the Great Fox II, his black shoes tapping on the floor. As he went down the hall, he passed Falco. "Hey, Foxie, what's with the getup?" asked the blue Falcon in a mocking tone. Fox turned around, a wide grin spread across his muzzle.

"Falco—I'm gonna do it! I'm asking her today!"Fox was ecstatic.

"Congrats, buddy! Good luck!" Falco laughed letting Fox continue down the hall.

Eventually, Fox came to Krystal's dorm. He was slightly nervous, but he brushed it off and knocked on the door. He heard some rustling from inside the room, and the door slid open. Krystal stood there sleepily, her eyelids drooping, her pretty blue fur matted to one side.

"Hi Fox," she yawned, her muzzle opening wide, revealing her perfect, white, teeth. "What is it?"

"Uh, um, Krystal? Could I, uhm, talk to you for a minute?" Fox stammered, blushing as he noticed that Krystal obviously had taken to wearing her Cerinian outfit to sleep as that was what she was wearing now.

"Yeah, sure thing. Just let me get dressed. By the way, why are you dressed so nicely?"

"Oh, ah, uhm, no reason," Fox said sheepishly.

"Whatever," yawned Krystal, turning around as she let Fox into her room.

Fox was amazed at how organized Krystal's dorm was. It was very different from his. There were no posters clumsily plastered onto the walls, no clothes strewn about the floor, no messes of paperwork cluttering the computer desk, and no messy, un-finished paint job. Instead, the room was painted a mystic blue. The floor was swept and polished, reflecting the dim, purple lighting Krystal had installed Shimmering mobiles hung from the ceiling, and rows of books in an ancient, arcane language lined the walls. On Krystal's desk lay small gemstones, and a mana plant grew in its pot next to the window, Krystal's elegant staff resting in a glass case next to it. However, what caught Fox's eye most was a photograph. It was of him and Krystal, sitting on a Cornerian park bench, sharing their first kiss together. That picture gave him the confidence he needed to do what he had to do. Just then, Krystal walked out of her closet. Fox's jaw dropped. She was wearing a tight purple sweater and long, black jeans. On her forehead, she wore her circlet, and around her neck were the necklaces that she had been wearing when Fox first laid eyes upon the beautiful vixen. All in all, she was gorgeous.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Fox?" she asked, raising one eyebrow quizzically. Fox stood from where he was sitting, and faced her.

"Krystal—all my life I have wondered how people work. How friendships, or even deeper relationships, are formed," he sighed, deep in thought. "For a time, after my parents were killed, I forgot about all of this, but then I received the mission that would change my life. The Sauria incident, when I met you. From that day on, I had something to live for other than myself, and I made the biggest mistake I ever would. After the Aparoid invasion, I became afraid for your safety, and asked you to leave. You did." At this, Fox choked back a sob. "But you forgave me, and you came back to me, even after I had betrayed you. Now, I have something to ask of you, something that, depending on your answer, could either make me, or break me." After saying this, Fox knelt down on one knee, and took out the small velvet box. He gazed into Krystal's eyes, her beautiful, shining eyes, and opened the box, revealing two intertwining bands of silver and gold with a beautiful sapphire nestled in the center of them: a ring. "Krystal," he said, his heart pounding in his chest, "will you marry me?"

For a moment, all was silent, and Fox's heart nearly stopped, but then he noticed tears streaming down Krystal's cheeks, her face a broad smile.

"Fox," she whispered, unable to believe what was happening, "I thought you would never ask!" At this, Fox stood, and she leaped into his arm, and they kissed, long and passionate. Suddenly, they heard the door slide open, and were surprised to see the entire team standing there, Falco leaning along the inside of the door.

"So then," he chuckled, "I take it everything went smoothly, eh Foxie?"

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A few months later, the wedding was held, and it was magnificent. It took place on a Saurian hillside, and all of Fox and Krystal's friends were there. Fox wore a black tuxedo, and Krystal wore a stunning blue dress. In the front row the whole team sat, Slippy and Amanda holding hands, as they themselves had been married just two months earlier. Behind them, sat newly appointed General Peppy, his daughter, Lucy Hare, a tired, old General Pepper, and Bill, newly appointed head of the Cornerian Airforce. And in the third row, their dinosaur friends stood proudly, King Tricky and his parents, the Queen Cloudrunner, the Lightfoot Chief, and all of the gatekeepers. In the final row, five of the six Krazoa Spirits floated reverently, their heads held high in regal pride. Leading the ceremony, was none other than the Krazoa whom Krystal had been host to. After the ceremony was performed, Fox and Krystal kissed, long and passionate, and Fox carried Krystal down the hillside, smiling. That was when the cake was brought out. It was a monstrous, fifteen layer cake, covered in alternating blue and orange layers, the fur colors of the two newlyweds. Atop the cake was a floating model of the _Arwing Mk II_ and the _CloudRunner_ circling each-other midflight, flying circles around a rose. The wedding party was spectacular. The entire time, Katt tried to get close to Flaco, but with no success, Slippy and Amanda danced together, and Fox and Krystal reminisced with old friends. It was the best day of their lives.

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After the party, Fox instructed the team to drop him, Krystal, and their ships off at a set of coordinates on Sauria. When they arrive, they see a small cottage nestled on a hillside, surrounded by lush forest. It is then that Fox decides to make an important statement. "Friends," he says, tears of happiness welling in his eyes, "I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. You have stayed by me for all these years, and I hope you can forgive me if I decide to take a short leave of the team for a couple of months." After saying this, everyone looked confused, including Krystal.

"Fox, what are you talking about?" Krystal asked her husband, still lying in his arms as he carried her, trying to read his mind, but much to her aggravation, while she was able to get his basic emotions, his intentions were hidden behind a psychic wall.

"See that little cottage?" he replied, smiling.

"Yes…" she said confusedly.

"I had that place built a month ago. Tricky and his friends helped with the heavy work, and whenever I could get the chance, I went to work on the electrical wiring with the Lightfoot and Sharpclaw tribes. We even installed plumbing!" Fox looked very excited, but Krystal knew he was holding some information back.

"Fox, what are you getting at?" she asked, smiling slyly,

"Yeah, Foxie, whaddaya talkin' about?" demanded Falco almost immediately. Fox gazed into Krystal's eyes.

"That little cottage is where we will be living for the next two months," he replied, grinning. Krystal kissed him on the muzzle. "Falco, this is where Krys and I will be taking our honeymoon. I'm leaving you in temporary charge of the team while I'm gone." At this, Falco grinned from ear to ear. "Think you can handle it?"Fox asked, grinning, and knowing the answer.

"Fox," Falco said, grinning, "I don't know why I didn't try to get you two hitched sooner." Fox laughed as Falco patted him on the back. "It's going to be quiet around here without you two! Enjoy your stay on Sauria, don't worry, I've got everything covered!"

"Wait," Krystal interjected worriedly, "What about all our things? I'm still trying to translate the ancient Cerinian texts I've found across Lylat, and I can't bear to be without my staff! It's the only thing I have left of my home." At this Krystal began to cry a little, remembering her beautiful home planet of Cerinia before it was destroyed. Fox grinned, and Krystal began to get a little angry at her husband. "What's so funny?" she demanded sternly.

"Hey Slippy, remember how I made you and Amanda repair and recalibrate the transporter to have pinpoint accuracy?" Fox grinned, obviously enjoying the confusion he was causing.

"Yes…" Slippy and his wife responded in unison, remembering all the hours they had spent on the seemingly pointless task.

"Well, all of our stuff is already in the cabin," said Fox, grinning. "I used the transporter to arrange it down there this morning." Krystal smiled, laughing. Fox trembled as he heard her silvery, chiming laugh.

"I remember why I love you so much," she said happily.

Falco laughed. "Hey, you guys gonna go yet? At the rate you're going, the two months'll be over before you even get to the cottage!"

"Goodbye everybody!" Fox called out as he left the _Great Fox II_, carrying Krystal in his arms. "Oh, and good luck Katt!" With that, Fox left, carrying his new wife to their honeymoon cottage. A full year had now passed since the end of the Anglar war. For a few, precious more days, they are happy.

One night, in a dream, Krystal sees her comrades aboard the Great Fox. Falco calls a meeting to deal with a suspicious report from General Peppy. When the others arrive, Falco is gone.


	2. The Beginning of Lies

Hey everyone (I hope I a'm not just talking to one person! :)) I'm sorry about the shorter length of this chapter, I tried, but I really couldn't lengthen it that much. Don't worry, the upcoming Chapter 2 (excitement!) will be quite a bit longer, and chapter three is HUGE! Also, special thanks to SchmEthan for taking the time to read my story, and even better, caring enough to enjoy it! Thank you SchmEthan, you have really helped my confidence in my writing and convinced me that I can write!

Anyways, enough thank yous and apologies about chapter length, the show must go on!

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"Well, he can't have just disappeared!" said Katt, trying not to look as frantic as she was.

"Calm down! Falco's always late," complained Slippy. "He probably just wanted to blow something up."

"The probability of Falco leaving to 'blow something up' after calling a meeting of this urgency is less than twenty fi - "

Katt turned R.O.B. off. "We need to find him! Someone check if the SkyClaw is still in the hangar." Katt began tearing the _Great Fox II _to pieces, overturning crates and opening doors and security hatches seemingly at random. As Slippy was walking to leave, however, Falco walked onto the bridge. Everyone started talking at once.

"Where were you?" "Why are you late to your own meeting?" "You had us worried!" For a moment Falco looked confused, but recovered after a few seconds.

"I was checking the captain's log" he said apologetically. Slippy sighed. Falco had been doing Fox's job with relish ever since being appointed captain. "Anyway, about this message Peppy sent." He strode calmly over to the holo-board and began bringing up files. One of them was a picture of a tall, thin and gray being. The only features on its flat face were tow cold, black eyes, and the thing's head had an elongated cranial case. Its arms ended in three long, sinuous tentacles.

"We have received intelligence that these aliens have been sighted within Sector X. We know little about them other than that they have hostile intentions. Just ten days ago, a battle-cruiser was lost to their fighters." Moving around a few holo-screens, Falco brought up a picture of a spacecraft not unlike a manta ray. "Our job is to find out where they're coming from, and how to eliminate them."

"Shouldn't we contact Fox?" interrupted Slippy. "I know you're in charge here, but this sounds big! We should warn him."

Falco grinned. "Slippy, that's _exactly_ what I had in mind."

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Fox and Krystal lay asleep in a small cottage on a Saurian hillside. Just as the sun bagan to rise, their transmitter began to buzz. "Ugh, who's calling at this hour?" Krystal moaned groggily.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Fox groaned as he crawled out of bed. After fumbling for a moment, Fox found the transmitter and hit the answer call button. Almost immediately, a hologram of Falco's head and shoulders flashed into life above the transmitter. "Falco, this had better be good if you're calling us at dawn," Said Fox, annoyed. "I'm still half asleep, and Krystal _is_ still asleep."

"Unfortunately Fox, This isn't good. It's bad. Really, _really_ bad."

"What is it now, Aparoids aren't actually dead yet?'

"No."

"Anglars back for more?"

"No…"

"Don't tell me Andross resurrected himself again!"

"Ha ha, no. There has been contact with hostile aliens near Sector X. Just thought I'd warn you."

"Ah. Thanks for the heads-up," replied Fox. "You guys don't think you could handle this one on your own, do you? I'd really like to not get involved in this, Falco."

"Well, actual – Hey!" The blue bird sounded startled, and seemed to be struggling against something.

Katt pushed Falco out of the view, replacing him on the holograph. "Don't you two worry. We'll take care off the aliens, and _I'll_ take care of the bird," she said, smiling slyly, before hanging up.

Slowly, Fox made his way back to the bed. "Who was it?" asked Krystal.

"Oh just Falco, going on about some alien conflict in Sector X. Come on, let's get some sleep." Fox walked back over to the bedside, and crawled back into bed with the love of his life, wrapping his arms around her body, embracing her soft form, and fell into a blissful sleep, unaware that his life was about to change.

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Back on the Great Fox, Falco stood triumphant at the computer and punched in Fox's coordinates. After a moment, the screen flashed "Coordinates confirmed: fleet deployed." Before going black. Chuckling to himself, Falco walked away from the console, In a chilling voice not his own, he said to himself, "All is going according to plan. Everything is going according to plan. Lylat will be ours."


	3. The Sky Burns

Hello again! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and yes, I did just upload two chapters in one day. I warn you not to expect me to be able to keep up this pace, as most of this stuff I already had done. But still, if you are reading this, then you are taking the time to read my story, and I thank you for that.

We hope you enjoy the show, and with that, we return to our feature presentation...

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_Fox scrambled across a desolate landscape, climbing over charred husks of trees and large jagged rocks, clutching a smoldering wound in his side. His heavy breathing and the sounds of his pursuers fill his ears, and the stench of blood and burning wood permeate the air. Desperate to escape, he crashed through a wall of foliage, frantically shoving aside leaves and branches in sheer terror. He trips over a large root, but managd to regain his balance, and pushes through the final branches. He is relieved to see Krystal standing in front of him on a cliff, injured but alive. His relief vanishes, however, as she raises her staff. The gem in its tip begins to glow dark red, and –_

Fox sat bolt upright in bed, panting in a cold sweat. He looked down at his stomach, relieved to find no injury. As he climbed out from under the sheets, he heard running water pattering onto a ceramic floor accompanied by a soft, melodic humming. The water stopped, and after a few minutes Krystal stepped out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for the day. "You okay?" she asked Fox, noticing his haggard expression. "You look worn."

Fox sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… just a bad dream." As he walked to the bathroom's open door, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, if there's anything you wanted to talk about, just let me know," said Krystal.

"I'm fine."

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Fox let the cool water run over his body, soaking his orange fur, slicking it back along his body. "_God_", he thought, "_I can't get that awful dream out of my head. I know I shouldn't let it trouble me, but what if it's a warning? I mean, Krystal told me about a dream she had about Falco's disappearance, but no, that didn't happen… but what if this does? What if… NO! I'm not letting this stupid dream get in the way of our relationship!_" he thought angrily, his hands clenching into fists. "_I've lost too much to let this happen, to make the mistake I made just a short year and-a-half ago! I'm not going to leave her again, even if it means possibly ignoring a warning! I would rather die than leave her! I would rather die!_" This battle raged in Fox's head, and he didn't even notice Krystal's presence in his mind.

"_Oh, Fox,_" she thought, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "_What's happening to you?_"

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Fox stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of old boots, a pair of shorts, and a green vest over his otherwise bare chest. He saw Krystal relaxing at the table, sipping a cup of coffee, a worried look on her face. "Alright," he sighed, exasperated and tired, "How much did you listen to?" Krystal's reply was simple.

"Enough," she whispered, pained to see her lover suffering like this. "Fox, if you need to talk, remember, I'm always here for you."

"Krystal, relax," he said, a weak, tired smile forming its way across his muzzle, "I'm 26, I've had my fair share of bad dreams!" He laughed, running his hand through his hair. "Most of them real though…" he added afterwards, in a lower tone.

"You know I heard that, Fox," Krystal said, beginning to get desperate. "I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you, physically or emotionally, and if…" Krystal tried hard to choke back tears, remembering what Fox had thought in the shower. "If anything were to happen to us, I don't know what I'd do." At this, Fox softened a little.

"Krys, it's me we're talking about, remember? I've seen my fair share of horror and had my fair share of bad experiences, right?" He sat on the wide, wooden chair beside her, and she laid her head upon his chest as he stroked her head, running his fingers through her long, silky hair. "I've seen my parents die and made it through, I've seen everything… and everyone I love slip through my fingers by my own doing, and I'm still here. I honestly don't think that the universe could do anything worse to me! The only worse thing it could do would be to…" Fox shuddered. "Would be to make you go away." Krystal looked up at him, both of their eyes wet. He laughed, brushing off the sad feelings of a moment ago. "Bah, what are we crying about?! We've got two short months alone, let's not waste them!" Fox and Krystal kissed, and Krystal snuggled into her husband's warm fur. "Here, I'll get the food today, you relax, go swimming or something, I know how much you love the water." He looked into her eyes, and she gazed back up at him. "This is our time; let's make the most of it."

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Fox jogged along a grassy Saurian hillside, reveling in the warm glow of the sun. With him he carried his blaster and a backpack, which contained various traps for smaller animals. Today was his turn to catch breakfast, and he was loving every minute of it. With each step of his booted feet, more of his troubles slipped away, until almost no memory of the terrible dream remained. As he ran, he climbed over the many rocks and ancient ruins in his path, thoughtless to the world, the sun beating down on his back.

As he reached a hill, next to a cliffside overlooking the woods, he stopped to catch his breath.

Without warning, a small aircraft whistled through the air directly at Fox, shattering the peace. The craft swooped low to the ground, forcing Fox to roll out of the way. The craft smashed into the cliffside, sending shards of metal from the cockpit hurling through the air, one of them clipping Fox's shoulder and sending him reeling. Pain lanced through his body, and he fell over.

To his horror, an immense fireball was flying from another of the aircraft directly for a hillside south of him. Fox froze as the fireball exploded, spreading death and fire in its wake. The cabin he and Krystal shared was on the other side of that hill.

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Krystal casually walked towards the lake, wearing her Cerinian outfit, her bare feet padding silently along the soft, grassy, hillside. She had chosen to leave her looser jewelry back at the cottage, seeing as how she didn't want any of it to get lost, but she still wore her necklaces, her staff strapped to her back, and the beautiful, gleaming, ring that Fox had given her when he proposed. She smiled at the memory, remembering how nervous Fox had been, how despite his nervousness, he had managed to protect his inner thoughts from her sixth-sense, and how well their life together had been so far. "Finally, life is looking bright for me," she sighed to herself, smiling, letting the golden sunlight wash through her blue fur, reveling in the peace of the morning. "_I wonder how Fox is?_" she thought to herself quizzically, "_I hope that orange furball hasn't gotten himself into any trouble!_" Krystal laughed, remembering all the times over the past few years that Fox had gotten himself into sticky situations, and the rest of the team had had to save his hide. "_Ah, Fox, you always did have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time…_" Krystal stepped up to the edge of the lake and jumped in, letting the calm, cool water flow over her body, relaxing along the bank. The lake stretched out before her, its calm, clean waters glistening into the distance, reflecting the sunlight wondrously. It possessed the beauty of an unindustrialized world, a world that had never known pollution or the ravages of progress. Krystal began to swim, her slender arms making perfect strokes in the water, her graceful legs gently kicking behind her, propelling her forward. When she came to a deeper point, she stopped moving, and began to tread water. "I wonder what Fox will think if I bring him back some fish," she said to herself, the sun reflecting off of her glistening body. With that, she pulled out her staff and dove into the depths, chasing long, silvery fish through the clear, shining waters. Suddenly, something began to nag at her telepathy. She sensed something was terribly wrong. She swam back to the shore, quickly stepping out of the water. She began to run back towards the cottage, when she stopped, looking towards the skies. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the fireball descending from the skies, heading straight for the cottage. She stopped, crouching down on the ground and generating a force field around her body with her staff. She knew it wouldn't stop most of the fire, but she hoped that it would do enough. She cringed, closing her eyes tightly, flattening her ears against her head, and the flames engulfed her.

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Fox ran, leaping over broken roots and shattered trees. He held no regard to his aching feet or shattered shoulder, didn't care that branches had torn his vest to shreds, or that his boots were little more than strips of leather, letting twigs cruelly tear into his skin.

He finally reached the cottage, or what was left of it. The roof was caved in, the door leaning crazily on its hinges. The fine wood walls were shattered, bent in along their length, and flames licked across the wood, crackling and popping. Out of breath, Fox stumbled to the door. He pressed it open and stopped. Two tall, menacing gray figures strode through the wreckage, picking through the fallen chunks of wood. One of them lifted a thin, gold circlet out of the rubble. Krystal's circlet.

"You killed her!" Fox screamed, exhaustion forgotten. He drew his blaster. "You monsters! I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you beasts!"

The gray figures turned to face him, quickly shrinking to a condensed creature with stocky arms. Their right hands converged upon themselves and elongated into wicked swords. In unison, they leapt at Fox. Fox opened fire, but the creatures dodged each of his shots with ease, and they both crashed into his stomach, elbow first. Fox flew backwards and slammed into the wall, making the world spin. He had no rest, as the other figure wrapped its fingers around his head, lifting him into the air and smashing him back and forth between the walls.

The creature tossed Fox into the air, then grabbed him by the ankle and slammed him into the floor. Fox felt his ribs give way under the stress, and heard his leg snap. Finally the creature seized his neck and lifted his limp form into the air, drawing its blade arm back for the kill. Tears streaming down his face, Fox whispered, "Do it." The thing lunged forward. Fox closed his eyes…

He smashed into the ground, dazed, and opened his eyes. The creature that had nearly killed him had a spear point protruding directly between its eyes. It looked surprised, then melted into a strange puddle on the ground. The other creature was quickly dispatched. Everything seemed blurred to Fox, as though he was viewing the world through a veil of water. The person who had killed the creatures and saved his life approached him. He saw a fuzzy blue outline, then passed out.


	4. The Veil Abandoned

Hello again! Yes, I realize this is my third chapter today, and yes I realize that it is as long as all-get-out, but hey, it was originally allone chapter, so I decided to keep it this way. Also, I would like to recognize the creator of some of the hospital scene, and the creator of the arwing fight scene, my awesome-sauce co-author, the Cybergeek. While he does not have an account here, much of this story (especially the coming chapter,) is his doing.

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

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Something was definitely wrong, Amanda thought. Falco wasn't acting at all like himself, they hadn't heard back from Fox or Peppy, and the Great Fox was headed directly for Sector X without even their cloaking turned on. It was almost as if… She had to make sure.

Amanda went to R.O.B, still sitting where Katt had turned him off. Strange. Why had Falco let them go so long without guidance from R.O.B? She turned him on, and he whirred back to life. "R.O.B?"

"Yes?"

"I think something is wrong. Can you check the system for anything unusual?"

"Shortly before I was deactivated, our transporter was used to send a large object to a coordinate in Sector X. Nothing after that is out of the ordinary."

"Sector X? But that's where the aliens are! And… Wait… That's when Falco was missing! Did Falco send something out?" And with that, she ran off.

"There you are!" she said when she found Falco a moment later. "I checked with R.O.B, and someone used the transporter right before the meeting. What -"

"I did not use the transporter," said Falco in an unusually cold voice.

"How did you know that I was going to -?"

"Nobody used the transporter. R.O.B. must be mistaken."

"But R.O.B. never makes mistakes. It must have been you, unless…"

Realization hit her, and she turned and ran.

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Fox woke up, but did not open his eyes. He felt fine, so the things he had just been through must have been a dream. "That was awful," he mumbled. "I dreamed Sauria was invaded, and you were killed and…" He stopped. Krystal was being awfully quiet. He reached out and couldn't feel her. He opened his eyes.

And one of the creatures was staring at him, a few feet away.

Fox rolled out of bed and jumped to his feet, drawing his blaster. Then he nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Peace, Fox. I mean you no harm."

"You… You can talk?"

"I can. Others of my race have a hive mind, and do not need the luxury of speech."

"So what happened to you?"

"I am one of a group of scientists who believe that our way of life is insufficient, that only through becoming more like other species can we expand and continue to be great. We have genetically altered ourselves, adding gender and speech and all but removing our hive mind's presence in us. We are against our queen."

"Why am I even talking to you? Krystal is dead, you killed her!" Fox readied his blaster.

"She isn't dead. I healed her as I healed you."

Fox really did drop his blaster at those words. "She's alive? Where is she? I want to see her!"

"Calm down," said the creature. You can see Krystal, I just wanted to let you rest. I'm Savant, by the way. I'm a doppelganger."

"What's that, your word for lunatic?"

"No, that's the name we have given our species, roughly translated into your tongue."

"…"

"Anyway, Krystal is through there."

"Thanks, I guess. Oh, out of interest, why am I not dead?"

"Doppelganger healing. We give your cells the ability to shift back into their natural position and state."

"Sounds useful."

"Only for our allies. We can morph without it. Nonetheless, it has been remarkably helpful at times. We are very strong, if you fight us, pray you do not need it."

And with that, he showed Fox through the door to Krystal.

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Amanda was getting worried. Since she had fled from the doppelganger-Falco, she had met nobody. Every passing moment increased the chance that someone would die. "I've got to find someone." She thought. "Falco I want to _avoid_, and Fox and Krystal are gone, that leaves Katt and Slippy. Slippy's probably in the engine room." She headed off, running down the halls as fast as her feet could carry her, panting.

She could just make out the monster following her, calling "Amanda, be reasonable. It's me, Falco! There's no reason to be afraid." Maniacal laughter echoed through the halls, accompanied by a horrible screech, like the sound of metal being rent asunder. Suddenly, the sounds stopped, and Amanda barely noticed that the footsteps were heading off in a different direction.

"412… 413… 414! Here it is!" panted Amanda, pushing open the door to the engine room of the Great Fox. Slippy stood at the controls, watching a newly repaired part keep doing its job. She hastily explained to Slippy what had happened.

"…So we need to find Katt! Knowing her, she's probably out _looking_ for Falco, and if she finds him, who knows what could happe -"

She was interrupted by a deafening crash as Katt flew through the ceiling and smashed into the floor with a sickening crunch. Looking up, Amanda and Slippy saw holes in the ceilings of the previous three floors, the Doppelganger jumping down, already shedding the guise of Falco. "Run!" shouted Slippy."Let's get Katt, come on!" He slung Katt over his shoulder and they ran, sealing the door behind them. The doppelganger smashed straight through the reinforced steel without stopping and ran after them.

"We can't avoid him for very long!" yelped Amanda, seeing the doppelganger already much closer. "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad…"

"This is worse!" cried Slippy, turning a corner into an empty escape pod dock. They were trapped. They saw the doppelganger turn and sprint for the door… the door…

Slippy put Katt down and ran to the controls on the side. Just as the doppelganger reached them, he flipped a lever and the door closed on it, slicing it cleanly in half. The half on their side quickly grew legs, and Slippy and Amanda drew their blasters. The doppelganger drew up to a height of six feet, emaciated and skeletal. To their horror, it took the form of an emaciated corpse. The face belonged to Fox. In a raspy voice, mimicking Fox's in a horrible manner, it said coldly "The funny thing is, if it wasn't for you, your friends would still be alive." The doppelganger grinned forming its fingers into foot long claws. "Looks like you're about to pay for your sins!" The creature leaped forward with surprising strength, its thin, ragged legs bounding across the steel floor at lightning speed, its clawed feet tearing the metal into shreds. Slippy and Amanda barely managed to roll out of the way as the monster flew past them. Slippy opened the door, grabbing Katt and running with Amanda closing the door behind them. The doppelganger burst through, assimilating its guise of flesh into its body, leaving only a horrific skeleton. Its hands and feet were claws, and its teeth 2 inch fangs. It laughed in a horrible, otherworldly, multi-toned voice. "You were dead the moment I boarded this pathetic heap of scrap metal! I am an assassin, durable, ingenious, and bred to kill!" Slippy and Amanda ran from this macabre specter, sprinting down shredded corridors, the doppelganger mirroring their every move. Eventually, they made it to the engine room, a dead end, with no way out. The doppelganger burst through the door. Slippy set Katt down on some pipes, her limp form slumping across them awkwardly. The doppelganger stood, hunched over, ready to pounce. Slippy and Amanda drew their weapons, and the battle ensued. The monster charged forward, Slippy and Amanda jumping out of the way. They fired shot after shot into its body. The doppelganger screamed in rage. It shot its arms forward, slicing through pipes and wiring. Sirens blared and red lights flashed. Slippy and Amanda fired again and again as the abomination leaped from wall to wall. They nodded to each other as the doppelganger launched itself at them, claws glistening in the crimson light. They rolled out of the way in unison and each fired a fully charged shot into the creature's right shoulder. _Bam! Bam!_ Both shots connected and the doppelganger assassin howled as its arm was severed from its body. It lashed out in rage, catching Slippy and Amanda off guard. It smashed them in the stomach, sending them flying into the cold, metal, wall. They felt their bones snap, their ribs shattered. Suddenly, the doppelganger froze. Katt was standing behind it, her left leg twisted awkwardly, clutching a wound in her side, and holding a blaster to the back of the doppelganger's head. The doppelganger assumed the form of Falco, grinning. "Go ahead, Katt. Do it. Kill me. KILL ME!" it screamed. Katt released a primal roar, and fired one, two, three times. The doppelganger's body went stiff, jerking with each impact and flew dissolving into a grey smear as it impacted the wall. The doppelganger was no more.

Katt slumped to the ground, and Amanda ran to comfort her. Slippy interrupted her reassurances, however, with a cry of "Amanda – the ship!" A chorus of alarm bells exploded as R.O.B. burst through the door.

"Critical damage sustained to main engines! We're crashing onto a hostile planet! Get Falco and let's go to the hangar!"

"Falco was a fake, and we don't know where the real one was. We can't take you; we'll need to just take your memory chip. We'll rebuild you as soon as possible," explained Slippy.

"The probability of me ever being rebuilt is less than one percent," sighed R.O.B., resigned to his fate, "but that is the most logical course of action." He ejected his card and his systems died down. Amanda grabbed the chip and they ran out, still supporting a barely alive Katt.

"Do you think you can fly?" asked Amanda, helping Katt into the _Cat's Paw_.

"I think so. My arms hurt a lot, but I think I can use the controls."

"Okay, but take care of yourself."

"Amanda!" interjected Slippy, "Come on!"

"Coming!" Amanda shouted back.

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Krystal lay in a hospital bed, asleep, an oxygen mask strapped to her face. Fox sat in a small chair next to the bed. A doppelganger nurse walked up to the bed. Fox said in a quiet, trembling voice, "I – I can't believe it. She's still alive. Thank you."

The nurse replied, "No need, My name is Siren. Your wife should be fully recovered in about ten minutes."

"Wait," Fox asked her, "how did you know we're married?"

"When we picked you two up, she talked to me and asked about you. That's how I knew. Oh, look, she's waking up now."

Krystal groaned, and slowly slid into a sitting position, her eyes slowly flicking open. She pulled the mask off her face, and then she saw Fox. "Fox! You're okay!" she exclaimed. Fox ran to her side, and they embraced.

"I thought – I thought they killed you," said Fox, trying hard to hold back tears. "I – I thought I would never see you again."

"So did I."

Krystal and Fox pulled each other closer, taking comfort in each other's presence.

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Siren slowly slipped out of the room, meeting up with Savant in a secluded hallway. "Have they seen each other?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied coldly.

"Hey, don't judge me so harshly," Savant said, gently lifting Siren's delicate chin. "You know I have to. For the good of our people. There is no other way for us to be free." He and Siren gazed into each other's eyes, and with a swift kiss went their separate ways.

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"So the two of you are against the other doppelgangers?" asked Savant of Fox when he checked on them later.

"We are," Fox replied. "Nothing against you , but…"

"Of course," said Savant. "Then I have a request to make of you."

"Name it, I will grant it if at all possible."

"Siren and I will be attacking the home planet shortly, and your skills in an _Arwing_ are well known. I would appreciate it if you and Krystal would accompany us."

"If she agrees, I will gladly go with you."

"That's fine by me. We can work off some of our debt to you," said Krystal. A brief change came over Savant's face, but it quickly vanished. "Thank you. Ready your ships, we have them in the hangar," he replied.

"Okay. Come on, Fox!" shouted Krystal.

"Coming," he called back. "Listen," he told Savant, "I've always been aware of the danger in what I do. If I don't make it back, or if there's trouble out there, look after Krystal for me, will you?"

Again, the strange look flashed across Savant's face, but he answered in his normal voice, "Sure."

"Thanks," said Fox, running to go join Krystal in the hangar.

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"Goodbye, Great Fox," said Slippy with a sigh of regret.

"We couldn't have done anything. That monster demolished the engines, you know that. Even you couldn't have fixed them in time," said Amanda.

"Had you remained on the ship, your life expectancy would now be two minutes," stated R.O.B., his memory card connected to Amanda's communications panel.

"I know, but we're going through ships pretty fast," countered Slippy.

"Just keep the _Bullfrog_ intact," said Amanda.

"Can you get all sentimental after we're away from their home planet?" asked Katt. "I mean, I know I'm hardly one to talk, but…"

"Okay, okay," said Slippy. "Just business 'till we get away."

"Oh, yeah," said Katt, "And don't tell Falco I admitted that."

"No problem," laughed Amanda.

"Wait," said Slippy, "I think something's wrong." He increased the throttle on the _Bullfrog_, aimed directly away from the planet, and his ship swung around and sped directly planet bound. "They've found us!" he cried. "They're pulling us in!"

"No!" exclaimed Katt, attempting the same with a like result. "There's no way out!"

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"Let's go!" said Savant, launching his ship. As each fighter launched, the massive flagship turned out of orbit, exiting the range of missile and long range cannon fire.

"Everyone ready for this?" asked Siren, her voice crackling over the radio.

"You bet!" laughed Fox, glad to be in the _Arwing_ once more.

"Fox, wait," said Krystal concernedly, "there are ships heading this way. Three fighters."

"Prepare to fire," said Savant calmly.

"Wait! That's a familiar signal… It's Slippy, Amanda, and Katt!"

"Guys! Great timing!" said Fox. "Where's Falco?"

"He… he was a fake. A doppelganger," said Katt, clearly pained. "We don't know where the real one is."

"Dang!" cursed Fox. "He would have been nice to have, too. Where's the _Great Fox_?" The silence conveyed over the radio was far too much an answer for his liking. "Okay, it's gone. Where's R.O.B.?"

"My memory chip has been connected to the _Tadpole_'s communications," said R.O.B. matter-of-factly.

"Great. Sorry for the inconvenience. Anyway, will you fly with us?"

"I don't see that we have much choice; they've got a tractor beam on us," said Slippy.

"Great to have more help," said Siren.

"Alright," interjected Savant, "Let's move out!" They flew, flossing together, towards the alien world, still unopposed. "This is a surgical removal strike," explained TS, "We're targeting a base. Don't do any more, or we might be in trouble. Stay within your league." He was stopped by a transmission from the planetary defense grid.

"Identify self," called the transmission. Nobody answered. "You are armed fighters approaching our home-world and as such may be a threat to our forces. Identify self. Please respond." By this time the seven fighters were approaching the atmosphere and were not slowing. "If you do not identify yourself and state your business," warned the transmission, "you will be shot out of the sky. You have ten seconds to respond. Nine… Eight… Seven…"

"Hold your course," ordered Savant.

"Six… Five… Four…"

"Just a bit longer…" By this time, they had entered the atmosphere and were zeroing in on their target.

"Three… Two… One…"

"Diverge!" shouted Savant, yanking on his controls. A thick red bolt blasted through as the fighters split off course. "Open fire on their turrets!" yelled TS.

"Fox, they're readying a laser cannon behind one of their bunkers!" said Krystal. "We need to destroy it!"

"Go get it, you two," said Siren.

As Fox and Krystal went to deal with the cannon, the others did their best to shoot down any fighters that showed up and take out minor turrets. Fox and Krystal worked well together, locating and destroying all the doppelgangers' primary anti-air guns. And while Slippy, Amanda, and Katt occasionally needed help, on the whole, they did their job well.

At last, the last major threat was neutralized, and the team swung in for their final attack run. Then the doppelganger fleet arrived in force. Just moments into their attack, the team had to break formation to avoid the fusillade of shots scorching past their ships. "Woah!" panted Slippy, "That was way too clo-" A laser burst sliced straight through the _Bullfrog_, and both halves plummeted to the ground. Slippy's shriek echoed over the radio as his ship smashed into the ground and exploded into a massive fireball.

"NO!" screamed Amanda, crying with rage, and she flew, pushing the _Tadpole_ to its limit straight at the enemy armada.

"Amanda, wait!" yelled Katt, speeding after her. Fox sighed and flew off too, Krystal tailing behind him.

Amanda fought as a person possessed of the desire to personally destroy every ship she saw. She flew straight at battleships capable of reducing entire cities to rubble and sent them spiraling to their doom.

Fox, while not saving Amanda, also took down several ships of his own. In one of his runs, he heard a cry, turned, and saw Amanda flying at a mothership, both wings shorn off her ship. She opened fire, blasting the ship apart as shot after shot drilled into its hull, and flew down into the center of the chaotic maelstrom that was her enemy, smashing the hull to rubble and obliterating the remains of the _Tadpole_. She screamed, still weeping bitterly over Slippy, and smashed into the ground. Fox, sobered by their loss, took a moment to look down at where Amanda had crashed before a laser burst shook him to action, and reentered the fray. He continued terminating targets for the better part of another hour.

When he, Krystal, and Katt regrouped for an attack on another ship, Siren and Savant went off to attack a different target. Krystal and Fox each took a side of the ship, while Katt swooped down below it and emerged behind it, ready to fire. As they swarmed the ship, however, it flipped over, pointing directly at Katt. It opened fire and she rolled sideways. When the smoke cleared, Katt was still flying at the ship, unhurt. "It'll take more than tha-" the next shot pierced her ship from nose to tail. Katt, a seasoned veteran, turned tail and dropped, trying to lose altitude while she could still control her descent. She practically fell, smoke and flames billowing out behind her. Another shot, however, sent shards of her ship flying in all directions as the _Cat's Paw mk II_ shattered.

"No," breathed Krystal, unable to deal with so much loss. "Fox… If this goes on, we'll all die… we need to pull out. I can't see all of us killed like this!"

"You're right," sighed Fox, his voice quavering, and he turned to go. An explosion cracked the glass on his windshield, and he whirled around. The _Cloud Runner_ was in critical condition, spiraling down.

"Fox," said Krystal, badly shaken. "Fox I - " Then her ship smashed at full speed into the side of a cliff and was engulfed in a mammoth fiery ball of death. Fox froze. Not Krystal too. Surely not Krystal too… But the _Cloud Runner_ did not reappear.

"You'll pay for that," muttered Fox, converting all power to his weapons systems. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" He charged a mothership, tears streaming down his face, ignorant of the shots buffeting his ship, the lasers spattering its hull. He sent blast after blast into the ship's side, drilling holes into its thick hull. With mere seconds until impact, he broke straight through the ship's engines, tearing a hole in it and incapacitating it. He swerved around, aiming his deadly weaponry straight at the bridge, ready for the kill, screaming in grief and rage.

And then the warning lights began to flash.

And the alarm siren began to blare in his ears, making his head ring.

And then his world exploded.

Fox went flying out of the wreckage of his once-great _Arwing_ and landed, reeling, on something apparently solid. Somehow, he thought, he had survived. He looked to the side and saw a doppelganger in a cockpit, staring at him. He was on a doppelganger ship. The pilot flipped over, and Fox hit the ground and saw no more.


	5. Stranded

Hello everybody! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. If you are reading this, I really do want your input, so please review! Anyways, lets handle the credits of this chapter: Krystal and Amanda segments were written by my co-author, with editing and everything else done by me! I do hope you enjoy this chapter, and I warn you that a lot of very important stuff happens in here! (Also, the _Ensthiasmus_ is Savant's flagship, and it is organic, so it's actually alive!)

Thank you for listening, and with that, we return to our feature presentation...

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Katt crawled along a dense forest floor, pulling herself slowly along with her one good arm, leaving a red trail behind her. Her nerves were on fire, her body a mangled, painful, mass. Suddenly, she came face-to-face with a pair of steel-toed boots. She looked up and saw a vague, blue form, clean cut and military, its hands resting on its hips. Then she blacked out.

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Falco walked calmly through the dense foliage, carrying an unconscious Katt slung over his shoulder. His vest was torn, and his pants were rough and ragged, but his boots were perfectly maintained, crisp and clean. "You guys really managed to get yourselves in trouble this time, didn't you?" he muttered to himself, chuckling. "I leave you alone for five minutes…" he reached his encampment and lay Katt down on a makeshift cot. He strode to the middle of the camp, and picked up a bucket. He then walked over to the nearby stream, filling the bucket with its icy water, and returning to the camp. Upon returning to the cam, he promptly flung the cold water into Katt's face. She coughed, her eyes flicking open. She saw Falco, and drew her blaster. She obviously thought that he was a Doppelganger.

"I thought I killed you! Well, at least now I can remedy the situation!" she yelled, aiming at him with her one good arm. Falco put his hands up.

"Relax, relax, pussycat! It's me, not one of those grey freaks!" he said. "Look, I'll prove it to you." Slowly, he bent down, and drew a slender, curved, knife out of his boot. The blade was about 12 inches long. He closed his hand around the blade, and quickly yanked on the knife, slicing his palm. Blood dribbled down his hand, dripping into the soil below. "See? I bleed. I'm not one of them. It's just me, Katt." Slowly, Katt lowered her blaster. "Here, eat this. It tastes awful, so be ready." Falco produced a small grey ball from his pocket. Katt opened her mouth weakly, and Falco dropped it in. Almost immediately, her eyes went wide. Falco clamped her mouth shut as her entire body writhed on the cot. Finally, she swallowed it. Katt's mind exploded with pain, and her entire body went rigid. Her legs snapped themselves back into position, and her ribs popped and crackled as they realigned themselves. Her skin began to crawl across her flesh, closing and healing wounds, and her muscles began to re-knit themselves, fastening once again to her bones. Finally, Katt sat bolt upright and screamed, and the agony subsided. "Feels like your body's been sucked through a tube two sizes too small, doesn't it? Gets the job done though," Falco laughed to himself. Katt spat, clutching her forehead, and then realized that other than the mother of all headaches and soreness, she felt fine. She patted her stomach and chest, and to her amazement, found no broken bones, cuts, or burns. She turned to look at Falco.

"What was that?" she asked, her eyes wide in amazement.

"Some medicine I found while raiding an outpost. Hurts like heck to use, but it repairs every injury you might have in a matter of seconds. Come on. We've got a long way to go."

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Amanda looked around, trying to figure out about where she was. Although she hated to admit it, she needed a new ship, and the base was her best bet. She also needed to get a body for R.O.B. with whatever was available, and an enemy base was sure to have something. But first she needed to get there without dying.

It was pretty impressive that she had gotten as far as she had, actually. With barely inches left till collision, she had bailed from her crashing ship and somehow survived impact. She would have some bruises the next day, but she was alive. She remembered when Slippy had been shot out of the sky, and stifled a few sobs. They had killed her husband, and she would make them pay. After figuring out the direction to go to reach the base, she set out, jogging but trying to maintain an energy reserve for a quick escape.

With her nerves on edge, every sound was surely a Doppelganger patrol that had found her crash site and was following her, every strange shape must be the soldier that would end her escapade. But she found evidence of a nearby base without incident, and ran behind a ruined turret, drawing her blaster. Just about to turn and attack the base, she stopped. She hadn't been seen yet, and some cover might be nice…

She turned around, opened up the electric panel on the turret, and took out a wrench.

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Krystal was really not sure she could keep up her pace for too much longer.

After hitting the cliff side, she had been knocked cold for a few minutes, but her fall was broken by nearby foliage, and she hit the ground relatively slowly. She thought she might have a broken toe, but besides the mother of all headaches, that was about it.

She had immediately come up against the difficult task of signaling to Fox that she was unhurt without giving away her position to the enemy. Clearly sending up fireworks was out, but she had to act fast. Fox was evidently extracting his revenge from each individual fighter he saw, and was being careless. He surely couldn't stay in the skies forever fighting like that.

She was right. Long before she thought of a way to signal Fox, an explosion above sent her scrambling for cover. She saw a tiny figure fly from the wreckage, land on a Doppelganger ship, and fall to the ground. Thinking little of her own safety, she set out in the direction of the quickly fading consciousness she could just barely make out.

So she had run. She was now almost certain that her recklessness in crashing through the brush had alerted a Doppelganger patrol, for she could hear footsteps following her and sensed very violent intentions somewhere behind her. It was still a long ways to where Fox had landed, and she could no longer detect any life at the site. Giving up was not an option, though. She had no secure place to go back to.

At last she could run no more, and gave in to fatigue. She sank onto a boulder, her head in her hands. She had lost. She had given up, still a mile from her destination, and lost Fox, probably forever. How could she leave the planet without him? How could she leave, moreover, without a ship? Without help, she had almost no chance of obtaining a way out. Krystal laid her head in her hands, and cried. She wept for Fox, for that face she would never see again, wept bitterly at the cruelty of the universe. She looked at her hand; she was still wearing the ring Fox had given her. The gemstone in the center seemed to gaze up at her in sadness and loss, as if it knew her pain. She wept, crying over her life, and her misfortune. Suddenly, she heard something, almost like footsteps. She looked up in the direction of the sound, tears still rimming her eyes, and something amazing happened.

Something very close rustled the bushes next to her, and a battered but smiling Fox emerged.

He looked like he had been through a war. His vest was all but gone, his boots and shorts badly torn. He was missing clumps of fur, and his blaster looked like it had been shot out of his hands once or twice. But at this point, Krystal barely noticed. She stood up, at a complete loss for words, and approached him. He ran forward to meet her, following the path she had just taken.

That didn't make since. She was still moving _towards_ where Fox had ended up. She would have noticed if he had come around her while she was running. Besides, why would he? He would probably try to either find her or take on the base on foot. Come to think of it, the Doppelganger behind her seemed to be gone, too. She checked Fox's mind, and jumped to the side.

A long blade burst from Fox's right paw and grazed her arm as she leaped out of the way. That was not Fox. If nothing else had proved it, if the corrupted mind and alien thought patterns had not proved it, this proved it. Fox could not shapeshift.

The Doppelganger-Fox said, seemingly to itself, "They have telepaths amongst them. Copy thought patterns and emotions for exactitude."

Krystal gasped as all around her, distant consciousnesses changed to more accurately represent the mind they were copying. She could no longer tell the difference from the fake Fox attacking her and the real Fox she saw every day. Her telepath powers would no longer be an advantage in battle.

Her aggressor shed its guise, and lunged at her. Krystal was fast, but not superhuman. The Doppelganger was. She was barely able to avoid the sharp point of its blade as it flew into her, sending her flying. She hit a tree and slid down, gasping for breath. She waited for the Doppelganger, feigning immobility, and rolled sideways just as its sword arm swung at her, lodging in the tree.

Krystal had hoped that with the Doppelganger's arm stuck in the tree, she could gain the upper hand, or at least some time, but it simply melted its sword back into a hand and continued chasing her without slowing down. Krystal shot fireball after fireball at the Doppelganger as she fled, but it just morphed it's torso into a ring, and the fireballs flew through.

In desperation, she spun around and, slamming her staff into the ground, summoned an earthquake that could topple giants, but with its three-tentacled feet to support itself, the Doppelganger was barely slowed. Only pausing to pick up her staff, Krystal turned and fled.

Doppelgangers had evolved to be the best at everything they did, and this one matched Krystal move for move, jump for jump, easily clearing barriers that Krystal had clambered around. When a thin gap presented itself, the Doppelganger shrunk to the width of a toothpick and lanced through, travelling at an almost ridiculous speed.

When at last Krystal could again run no further, it was not from exhaustion, but due to a huge crevasse spanning hundreds of feet before her with no bottom in sight. Unable to fight, she dodged the Doppelganger barreling at her – which fell off the cliff.

Unable to believe she had escaped, she peered over the edge, and was almost impaled by the sword of the Doppelganger, swinging back up. It had grabbed a branch as it fell, whiplashed itself upward, and was expanding its legs to hit solid ground. As the creature's head whipped up to return to its normal place, Krystal threw her staff, and sank the point deep into the side of the Doppelganger's head.

The creature turned, looked surprised, and melted into a pile of the same strange, silver glop.

Krystal walked over, retrieved her staff, and almost immediately fell asleep. She awoke about half an hour later to the sound of rustling in the brush. She snarled, tears forming in her eyes, and readied her staff.

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Fox sat up, clutching his forehead, tears streaming down his cheeks. Slowly, he stood, not noticing his two broken ribs or the bloody wound in his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot with rage, his teeth bared in a feral snarl as he limped along the forest floor. "You killed her," he muttered. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He screamed, unleashing his fury in a single, primal shriek. He pulled his blaster from its holster, inserting a new battery. He tore strips of cloth from his shirt, bandaging his shoulder, and making a brace for his injured leg with a couple of sticks. He ran, paying no heed to the agony in is leg or the stones battering his feet, towards the Doppelganger base, crashing through branches and low hanging branches. He was ready to kill!

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Amanda ran straight at the base, picking off with her blaster what the modified turret missed. The plasma turret she had repaired vaporized Doppelgangers where they stood with pinpoint accuracy. It would only hit so many, however, so she ran. Within moments, her pursuers were dead and she was in a hallway of the Doppelganger base. By the time reinforcements arrived, she would be long gone, and the fuse on the explosive she had planted consumed.

A shock wave rocked the room Amanda was in, and she smiled, knowing her trick had worked. "You filthy animals," she muttered, her voice dripping with malevolence, "You'll pay for what you've done!" She continued rummaging around in the scrap pile, and found just the sort of thing she was looking for: a spider legged contraption designed to deliver bombs surreptitiously. She yanked off the detonator, and with a few modifications the new R.O.B. was whirring to life. With a few more, he turned on instantly, without so much as a whisper.

"You really have outdone yourself," said R.O.B. sarcastically, "A spider suit with no durability and next to no battery life. What more could I ask for?"

"Be quiet," ordered Amanda, scowling. "You're lucky I could find something so good. Your battery is nuclear: you could run for a year on one cell. Besides, this is the fastest machinery I've ever seen."

R.O.B. zipped to a nearby crate and, with some difficulty, pried a board off and went inside. "You're right," he admitted, "This is quite fast, and much stronger than I anticipate -"

Doppelgangers jumped into the room, and grabbed Amanda. She screamed in rage, but they knocked her out and left, leaving no one for R.O.B. to finish his sentence to.

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Savant paced back and forth angrily aboard the _Ensthiasmus_, kicking over chairs, his arms crossed behind his back. "_Blast!_" he thought, "_They were my ticket to the Queen! My plans are doomed now!"_ Siren walked through the door, and immediately dodged an incoming chair. "Useless, useless, USELESS!" Savant screamed, and collapsed into his command seat. Siren sauntered over to him and pulled up a char behind his, beginning to massage his shoulders and back. He looked up at her, his eyes a crazed jumble of sorrow and rage. "Siren, what do we do now? We lost Fox and his team, exposed ourselves, and we didn't even destroy the base!" he raged, frustrated and more than a little bit afraid. "The Queen will have our hides for this…" he muttered.

"You know," Siren said, rubbing her thumbs under Savant's shoulder blades, "our scanners picked up six heat signatures on the planet's surface."

"So what?" snapped Savant, depressed.

"_Lylatian_ heat signatures."

At this, Savant's eyes lit up. "You mean… you mean they're alive?" he exclaimed, leaping out of his seat. Suddenly, a frazzled scientist in a white lab coat burst through the door.

"Sir!" he exclaimed, panting, "Incoming transmission from the Queen! She… she wishes to speak with you!" At this, Savant's excitement vanished, and he rolled his head in annoyance. He strode down the sleek, organic hallways of the _Ensthiasmus_ until he reached the bridge.

"Patch her through," he sighed, assuming a military position and straightening his coat. An image of the Queen flashed to life.

"_Savant! What is the meaning of this!"_ she demanded, her terrible, otherworldly voice echoing in the minds of the crew.

"What do you mean, your majesty?" Savant asked innocently with a deep bow.

"_DO NOT MOCK ME!"_ she screamed, her shriek piercing Savant's mind. _"We detected the _Ensthiasmus_ entering orbit, and we detected a number of fighters launching from its docking bay. These fighters then rendezvoused with known enemy ships! Again, Savant, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!"_

Savant nearly panicked, the pressure of the Queens omniscient presence beating into his mind, her terrible, overbearing thoughts searching his brain. She almost found his plans, but he was able to calm himself just in time to divert the Queen's probe.

"Ah, so you must men our little raid, then," he said calmly. "Tell me, how many pf the enemy fighters were destroyed? Were they all shot down?"

"_Yes, all five."_

"Also, did Azriel successfully infiltrate the Great Fox?"

"_Yes…"_

"So you did receive Falco Lombardi?"

"_Yes… Where are you going with this, Savant?"_

"The other five fighters… were the remainder of the Star Fox team. The Lylat System's greatest military experts are now extinct." At this, the Queen's eyes narrowed deviously. "As you can see, our attack prompted them to strike, leading to their destruction."

"_Savant, you are a genius. With Star Fox gone, Lylat will soon be ours."_ With that, the image of the Queen vanished, and the crew was at ease.

"Siren?"

"Yes, Savant?"

"Go get Elasmus."

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Elasmus sat crouched over his desk, working with various vials and a computer. "Come on, come on… Blast!" he cursed as the screen went blank. "These prokaryotic cells are so hard to work with!" Siren poked her head through the door.

"Elasmus?" she said softly.

"Yes, mother?" he replied, deep in his work.

"Your father would like to see you."

"Aww, mooommm, does it have to be right now?" he moaned, not wanting to leave his project.

"Yes, Elasmus," Siren sighed. He had always been this difficult.

"But—"

"_NOW._"

"Oh, alright." Elasmus got up from his seat, and followed Siren down the halls of the Ensthiasmus. As they reached the bridge, they saw Savant, standing tall and straight, his back facing them.

"Elasmus," he said, turning his head, a wide grin splayed across his face. "How are you, son?" He ran, and wrapped Elasmus in a bear hug.

"I'm fine, dad," Elasmus replied, laughing. "Why did you call me?"

"I have a special mission for you, son." Savant released the hug, taking a step back, and Elasmus' eyes lit up in excitement. "We received information that the Star Fox team survived the crash."

"Woah," Elasmus breathed, "I saw those guys go down. They must be pretty hard core to survive that!"

"I want you to go planet-side, prevent them from killing each other, and bring them back here. When can you be ready to depart?" asked Savant of his son.

"Two days ago," replied Elasmus, grinning. As he turned to go, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, and saw his father, his face wrought with worry.

"Son, I just—be careful, okay?"

"Alright, dad, I will," Elasmus replied comfortingly, turning to leave. "I will."

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Fox crawled through the brush, hiding from sight, making his way towards the Doppelganger base. Its imposing steel walls loomed before him, and his body was covered in cuts and bruises. He didn't care. They had killed his Krystal, his beautiful, loving Krystal, and now, they were all going to die. As Fox reached the wall, he slowly slid into a standing position, his blaster drawn and ready, his back pressed against the wall. Slowly, he crept along the cold steel, perfectly silent. Eventually, he came to the facility's enormous doors. Much to his surprise, the gigantic doors began to slide open. Fox crouched low in the brush as a military convoy made its way to the forest. After the convoy had gone, Fox rushed through the closing doors, barely reaching the interior of the base before the heavy doors slammed shut. He found himself in a large clearing. In front of him was a curved building complex, stretching to touch the outer wall at both ends. On the left end, there was a small door, about three feet wide and six feet tall. Grinning sadistically, Fox readied his blaster, and kicked the door down. A Doppelganger sitting at a desk and working on a computer looked up at him, and its eyes widened. It was a secretary, not used to battle, and completely inexperienced in the arts of war. Fox didn't care. He shot it between the eyes. The secretary went rigid, and as it died, slammed a button on the desk. As it dissolved, alarms began to sound, blaring in Fox's ears. Enraged, Fox smashed through the door on the other side of the complex. The door splintered as Fox barreled through, and he found himself in the middle of a large courtyard, surrounded by Doppelganger soldiers. The soldiers had their left arms in the form of sinister blades, while their right hands were wrapped around menacing laser cannons. Fox screamed in primal rage and charged the soldiers. "You _MURDERERS_! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Fox leaped onto the soldier in front of him, bared his claws and stabbed it through the head. The thing's eyes went dim, and Fox leaped out of the way as a barrage of laser fire flew past him. He hit the ground on all fours, and an ammunitions despot exploded behind him. He roared and charged forward, his eyes filled with bloodlust, straight into the crowd, laser fire spattering the ground behind him, drilling craters into the dusty ground. The soldiers fell, one by one, as Fox flew through their ranks, a whirlwind of death. He buried his claws in soldier after soldier, and shot one after another down. Finally, only one soldier remained. It turned and ran, and to Fox's great surprise, burst into flames. Its dying scream pierced the air, and it crumbled into ash.

"_Fool." _Fox turned, feeling an unusual presence in his mind. _"There is no mercy for cowards. You must be Fox McCloud."_

"How do you know my name?" Fox asked as he saw the abnormally tall and thin Doppelganger.

"_I am Psion, a telepath, and I read Krystal's mind before I shot her down."_ Fox's pupils contracted to tiny dots, and his mouth fell open. Psion gave what appeared to be a smirk. _"I see that THAT touched a nerve. You know, you really should be glad she's gone. She would _never_ have been anything other than a second-rate scum of a psychic, not to mention a lousy wife!"_ At this, Fox screamed and charged at Psion.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT KRYSTAL!" Fox cried, tears of sorrow and rage streaming from his eyes.

"_Good, you've lost your temper,"_ Psion calmly replied, taking a martial stance. _"Knowing your kind's obsessing with gender, you may consider me male."_ Fox fired his blaster. Psion merely waved his hand, and the shots bounced away, a blue force field revealing itself where the shots struck. _"I am Psion, crown prince of the Shi'Krii Empire, or as your kind knows us, the Doppelgangers!"_ Fox just sped up. _"And I know much more than you think, McCloud."_ Fox reached Psion, throwing a punch. Psion grabbed his hand, twisting Fox's arm behind his back, and punching him in the back, sending him flying a few feet forward. _"Krystal McCloud. You met her on Sauria, atop Krazoa Palace, in the custody of that half-wit moron Andross. You saved her life and defeated Andross, and a relationship was quickly formed."_ Fox turned, and Psion kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. _"After the Aparoids, inferior beings, were destroyed, you forced her to leave the team, fearing for her safety."_ Reminded of this painful memory, Fox roared and charged forward. Psion punched him across the jaw and kneed him in the gut. _"After the Anglar War, she came back to you, and you were married."_ Psion lifted Fox into the air by his neck, holding him above his head. _"Krystal McCloud: Age, 24, race, Cerinian, spouse, Fox McCloud, status… deceased!"_Psion ignited his hand and plunged it into Fox's side. Fox howled in pain as his flesh smoldered, the stench of his own burning fur filling his nostrils. Finally, Psion removed his hand, and flung Fox across the courtyard to land in the dust. _"Go, run, run like you always have! Run from life, run from pain, run from the realization that it's your that the woman you love is dead! RUN FROM ME!" _Fox stood, and ran from the base, his heart pounding, his cheeks stained with tears, Psion's malevolent voice still echoing in his mind. His poor, beautiful Krystal. He would do anything for her, and now she was gone. All of this was happening too fast, but it all seemed too familiar. He broke into the forest, panting, clutching the smoldering wound in his side, tears flowing freely from his eyes as he ran across the desolate landscape, jumping over shattered trees and broken rocks."_I know this place,_" he thought to himself, afraid. He came to a wall of brush, sunlight streaming through the foliage, a sense of déjà-vu pounding in his skull. As he broke through the foliage, he saw something he never thought he would—Krystal, injured, but alive, standing at the edge of a wide cliff. He was relieved, ecstatic even, until he saw that she had her staff raised. "_No, not the dream!_" he thought, his hopes dashed. "Krys.. It's me…" he whimpered, a feeling of utter hopelessness engulfing his tired soul. He barely heard her reply, tears in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Doppelganger scum," she whispered as the tip of her staff began to glow blood red. Suddenly, a grey form flew out of the sky, hitting Krystal in the shoulder.

"NO!" it cried, and Krystal fired. The bolt of flame hit Fox in the shoulder. He yelped in pain, and as his head hit the ground, everything went black.

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Gasp! An end note! It looks like Savant's walking a very thin line, and an extremely powerful enemy has been revealed. We proudly present Psion, crown prince of the Shi'krii Empire and telepath extroardinaire! He can essentially use all of Krystal's staff powers, only on a highly multiplied power level! His other amazing abilities will be revealed later on...

Please continue reading, and enjoy the show!

Baeowulf


	6. Tragedies and Revelations

Ok, some updates: I have fixed the no page-break problem!

Also, I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed; your support is important to me!

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

* * *

Fox came to in a dark, dank, place, seated in a stone chair. He tried to rub his forehead, but to his shock, found that his arms were tied to the arms of the chair. He panicked and his eyes flicked open, only to see Krystal in a similar fashion on the other side of the cave, a concerned look spread across her face. "Krystal! You're alive!" he cried, overjoyed to see her.

"Fox! I'm so glad you're okay! You gave me quite a worry back there," she replied, relieved.

"Ugh, what happened back there?" Fox asked, blinking slowly.

"I was attacked by a Doppelganger. It… It took your form. I ran and tried to fight it with my magic, but my spells had no effect. Eventually, I killed it, but not before it found out that I was a telepath and alerted its allies. I can't tell them apart from real people by their brain patterns anymore! When… When I saw you, I thought you were one of them, and I tried to shoot you. That's when something attacked me and knocked me out. Fox… Fox, I'm so sorry!" Krystal cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, it's alright, I'm just glad you're okay," said Fox soothingly, and for the next few minutes, they just stared into each other's eyes from across the chamber. Suddenly, a tall grey figure strode into the cave.

"Look, the two lovebirds are awake!" it said cheerily. Krystal stomped her feet in defiance, her face a mask of rage.

"You!" she screamed, "You're the one who attacked me! Who are you?! Why are we tied to these chairs?!"

"You are tied to these chairs so that you wouldn't kill me the moment I showed my face," the Doppelganger replied flatly. Krystal calmed down, and Fox just looked confused.

"Wait—" said Fox, confused, "Let me ask just one question: Why aren't we dead, and… and… and why am I healed?" Fox asked, astonished that his many wounds had mysteriously vanished. The Doppelganger smirked.

"Because," he replied, "I am Elasmus, son of Savant and Siren, and I was sent down here to find you guys and stop you from blowing each other's brains out." Fox and Krystal just stared at each other.

"Oh," they said in unison.

"Here," laughed Elasmus, "let me help you with those ropes." Elasmus untied them, and they ran to embrace each other.

"Let's not do this again, alright?" Fox joked. "Oh, Krystal! I ran into the one who shot you down!"

"Really? Did you get him?" she asked excitedly. Fox frowned.

"No, I took a royal beating from him. He said his name was Psion. He's a telepath, unlike anyone I've ever fought!"

"Wait—you fought Psion?" asked Elasmus, a look of severe worry on his face. "Tell me everything leading up to you battle with it."

"Well," Fox replied, sighing, "I made my way to the base. I thought Krystal was…" Fox paused, pained. "I thought she was dead, and I wanted revenge. I entered the base and I saw… I guess I guess I saw a civilian. It was working at a computer. I shot it." As Fox said this, Krystal gasped. "As it died, it set off an alarm. I exited the building into a main courtyard. I was surrounded by soldiers, maybe 20, maybe 50, I'm not sure. I killed the first one with my bare hands. I tore through them, killing one after another. Eventually, only one was left. It turned and ran, and… and… and burst into flames." Fox sighed as he finished, coming out of the terrible memory. Krystal stared in horror.

"He would kill one of his own troops?" she gasped, terrified. Elasmus nodded grimly.

"That's Psion, alright. It has no tolerance for cowardice or disobedience, and is the most dangerous of our kind, aside from the Queen herself. It is also somewhat insane."

"How so?" asked Fox, curious.

"It has become obsessed with other species, and has recently taken to calling itself male. Not only does it desire rule of Lylat, but also the complete extermination of the system's people, which it views to be inferior creatures."

"Then we have to stop him!" Fox said determinedly. "Krys— you're a telepath, tell me anything you know that could help to stop him."

"You don't understand!" yelled Elasmus, pounding his fist on one of the stone chairs so hard that it split in two. "Psion is powerful beyond belief! Krystal, tell me, what can your staff do?"

"Well, I can shoot bolts of flame, disguise myself, create earthquakes, freeze things, generate a force field, and leap long distances," Krystal replied proudly.

"Psion can use these powers without a staff, and to even greater effects. He can stop bullets, engulf people in flames, generate blizzards, and create huge chasms in the ground, all with a wave of his hand. He also has telekinesis, can read minds without being noticed, even by another telepath, and completely nullify his mental signal, making his mind impossible to read." Fox and Krystal's jaws dropped.

"I'm going to need a _lot_ more than my staff to kill that one…" Krystal muttered, amazed at this Psion creatures power.

"What you need is Cerinian meditation," replied Elasmus.

"How… how do you know about Cerinia?" asked Krystal, bewildered.

"We had agents there, and we received quite a bit of information from them before…" Elasmus trailed off as he noticed Krystal falling into depression. She crumpled to her knees, and Fox ran to her side.

"You okay, Krys?" he asked, hugging her close.

"I'm fine," was her reply. "Go on Elasmus."

"Erm, anyways, our agents relayed to us information that aging Cerinians undergo long periods of meditation to obtain extraordinary arcane power. I trust that you know of this?"

"Yes," replied Krystal. "The Elders used their knowledge to rule over our people and to protect us in times of need."

"In order to defeat Psion, you must undergo this transformation."

"But only the old and wise may undergo the meditation process, and even then it requires years of preparation!" Elasmus looked at her coldly.

"If you wish to survive, you have about two weeks." Suddenly, they heard a loud noise coming from the jungle. "Blast! Fox, Psion must have put a psychic tracker in your mind! He found us! We have to run!"

"But—" Elasmus cut Fox short.

"NOW!"Fox and Krystal were spurred to action as sizzling laser bolts flew over their heads, slicing into the cave ceiling, sending rocks showering down on their heads.

"C'mon, let's GO!" shouted Fox, grabbing Krystal by the hand. They ran, following Elasmus over the rugged landscape, bolts of plasma flying past them. Elasmus led them along a twisting path, over stones and under rotting logs, but the sounds of enemy fire never left their ears. Suddenly, Fox felt a sharp tug on his hand, and heard a piercing scream as he felt his beloved's hand leave his. He turned and saw Krystal limping behind him, an inch diameter hole burned all the way through her leg.

"Fox…" she gasped, tears of pain welling in her eyes. Then three shots pierced her body. She screamed, her eyes opened wide in agony, as the bolts pierced her shoulders and side.

"KRYSTAL!" screamed Fox as her limp body flew forward with the force of the impacts. He ran to her side, placing two fingers at the point where her jaw met her neck, praying to whatever ancient gods may be listening for a pulse. At first, he felt nothing, but then, he felt it: a faint flutter beneath his fingertips. Krystal's throat opened, and she began to take shallow, ragged breaths, gasping for air. Fox felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Elasmus, fear showing clearly in his panic stricken eyes.

"Grab your wife, and let's MOVE!" he shouted, already turning to run from the incoming soldiers. Fox picked up Krystal, holding his love's limp form close to his chest, tears streaming from his eyes as he ran.

"Please…" he whispered, desperate, "Please be okay."

* * *

Slippy woke up, groaning, surprised to be alive. By all accounts he shouldn't be. He had plummeted a few hundred feet to crash into the unforgiving ground and be engulfed by an explosion. In his experience, when flesh went up against rock and fire at high speeds, rock and fire won. He looked around, and saw nothing but concrete and metal bars. That explained it. He had been captured, healed to the point where he would survive, and imprisoned, probably for use as a hostage, or as a study animal. He sighed, and looked up to the ceiling.

A small robot was there, spidery legs clinging to a crack in the corner.

"Amanda is here as well, unhurt. I will attempt to free you. Prepare yourself to run."

"R.O.B?" Slippy asked, recognizing the monotone voice. "Wait! How did -"

But R.O.B. was already gone. He scurried around a corner into the control room for the base they were in. He could see the release for the cells, but it would take time to find the two he wanted to release, and there were guards that would probably notice if the machinery started operating itself. He couldn't take them on in his current form, and couldn't simply seal off air vents: the Doppelgangers did not need oxygen. This would require a more direct and much less subtle approach.

He went out a cooling vent and began his search for a suitable mechanism to inhabit. Obviously he would need something rather large to take out the guards, at least human-sized. Perhaps he could find an unfinished robot, or better yet, a badly guarded, finished robot. After skirting several patrols, he found the perfect match: a robot clearly designed to defend bases. It was evidently just a prototype, but that was all R.O.B. would need.

A few minutes later, he had taken control of the robot and was on his way back to the base Slippy and Amanda were being held in. The robot had originally had a simple blaster with advanced armoring. R.O.B. had left the armor unchanged but upgraded the blaster, giving it a charge and a connection to his own nuclear power, so it had unlimited firepower at its disposal. He advanced on the base.

The entry door was designed to make it hard to enter if you didn't know how to, but R.O.B. had access to the robot's memory drive, and he did know how. One charged shot sent down both the backup shield generator and the door mechanism, letting him slide open the door as easily as if it was a window.

Three guards rounded the corner after running to see what the sliding noise was, only to be met by three blasts of plasma to the face. After a brief shoot-out, the rest of the guards were quickly taken care of, and R.O.B. ejected from the robot to scramble on top of the control board. Once he had found a suitable port, he plugged himself in and opened the doors on both Slippy's and Amanda's cells. He then quickly went back to his host and prepared to aid their escape.

* * *

Katt sprinted through the dense jungle, following behind an unbelievably energetic Falco, panting heavily. "_Geeze!_" she thought, "_How does this guy keep this up?!_" She stopped to rest, leaning on a tree, panting like crazy. "Falco… Slow down!" she wheezed, gasping for breath. Falco just jogged backwards, not even breathing heavy, a smug grin spread across his beak.

"Whassa matter, pussycat?" he laughed cockily, "Tired al—" Irritated, Katt clocked him across the beak.

"Sa… Save it," she panted angrily, before realizing what she had just done. "Omigod! Falco, are you okay?" she asked frantically, rushing to his side. Falco propped himself up on his elbows, looking extremely dazed.

"Whoah, you sure can throw a punch," he said, his eyes spinning. "Remind me not to mock you!" He laughed. "Help me up, will ya?" He took Katt's hand, and she helped him to his feet.

"Hey, uhm, Falco?" she asked shyly, blushing slightly.

"Wazzup?" Falco replied, absentmindedly rubbing his sore beak.

"Have you noticed anything, ah, uhm, _different_ about me?"

"Whaddaya mean?" he replied, completely oblivious of the romantic hints that Katt had been dropping for the past few months.

"Lombardi, when it comes to women, you are hopelessly oblivious." After saying this, Katt leaped up, wrapped her arms around Falco's neck, and kissed him passionately straight on the lips. Falco's body went completely rigid; his eyes open wide in shock. "Falco?" Katt said, concerned, pulling out of the kiss. "What's wrong?"

Falco just toppled over.

* * *

Psion scowled, his hands clasped behind his back, glaring down at the pitiful excuse of an officer cowering in front of him. This little weasel had always managed to get out of trouble, and even assignments, unscathed, but this little worm's luck had just run out. _"Mezekiel,"_ Psion addressed the cowering form before him, putting on a mock grin, his featureless face stretching itself sadistically, his cold, black eyes striking fear into the officer's soul. _"Tell me: what were you assigned to do?"_ Psion's mindvoice dripped with malevolence and sadistic glee, clearly and obviously evil, but with an undertone of bottled rage, his thoughts a torrent of wild, evil emotions, like a criminal psychopath's mind.

"I-I-I was as-s-s-signed t-to track the v-vulpines along w-with m-my troops," Mezekiel answered, its voice trembling in fear.

"_And tell me, what were you given to aid you in this respect?"_

"A t-telepathic image of w-where they were headed."

"_Also, were any of the targets eliminated?"_

"N-no. We severely in-injured the b-blue furred f-female, b-but the orange o-one picked her up and c-carried her away." Mezekiel hesitated before adding to his statement. "You… you did say th-that we w-were sup-p-posed to take them al-l-live, sir?" Psion grinned wickedly.

"_Yes, very observant, Mezekiel. We do need them alive. Now tell me this: are the vulpines lying at my feet, Mezekiel?"_

"N-no sir."

"_And whose fault is that, Mezekiel?"_ Mezekiel snapped, afraid.

"Sir! It wasn't my fault, I swear! I tried to track them but-" Mezekiel was silenced by a slap from Psion.

"_SHUT UP, INSOLENT WORM! The first rule of leadership: EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT!!!"_

"Y-yes s-sir, w-whatever y-you say," Mezekiel said, panicking. "_Oh, Mother of All, please don't let him kill me, please…_" it thought, praying to the Shi'Krii deity, an entity supposedly older than the Queen herself.

"_Now, Mezekiel, tell me how this mission ended."_

"I-in f-failure, sir."

"_Indeed. And tell me, how many times have you failed me before?" _Mezekiels eyes lit up at this glimmer of hope.

"This is the first, sir."

"_And how many times have you served under me?"_

"Thirty-three times, sir, thirty-two of which are successes."

"_Mezekiel, you are well known for your success rate."_ Psion placed a hand on Mezekiel's shoulder, bringing the poor creature hope. _"You will make a fitting example."_ Mezekiel's smile vanished as Psion brought his other hand around into Mezekiel's face, his fingers igniting. Mezekiel screamed in pain, begging and pleading for Psion to stop as he slowly burned it to death. Finally, Psion released his grip, and Mezekiel fell to the ground, squirming, the fires on its head extinguished. As Psion turned to walk away, he snapped his fingers. Slow-burning flames burst into life all over Mezekiel's body, and the poor creature howled in pain as it slowly burned to death. Walking away from the screams and prayers of salvation, Psion projected his thoughts to his orderlies, obviously disappointed in the effectiveness of the conventional military. _"Bring me Reaper. It's time I take matters into my own hands."_

* * *

Fox and Elasmus reached a rocky outcropping far from the base, panting in exhaustion. Fox was only tired for a minute though, and he quickly set Krystal down on the rocky floor, his adrenaline and panic causing his eyes to dart uncertainly around the environment in search of things that could help in the situation. He looked up at Elasmus, and practically screamed at him. "Don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING!" Fox ran back to Krystal's side, panicking even more as he noticed her heartbeat was slowing and her breathing was becoming more laborious by the second. He cradled her head in his hands, and began to cry as he saw his wife dying before his very eyes. He looked up at the sky in rage and anger, lashing out at the universe. "WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME!" he cried, unable to control the rage pent up inside him. "YOU TOOK MY PARENTS AWAY WHEN I WAS A CHILD, AND YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME ONCE ALREADY! I'VE LOST SO MUCH ALREADY, WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT!" Fox's head sunk low in his shoulders, and he began sobbing uncontrollably. "Please… what more could you possibly want?" he muttered between sobs, "I'll do anything, just tell me what you want…" Suddenly, Fox heard a soft thunk behind him and turned around to see a giant insect on the ground, about the size of a fighter craft, with a large compartment opened in the bottom of its belly. Elasmus was busy unloading equipment that looked like it would stock an entire hospital.

"Well?" he said, still hard at work, "you gonna stand there staring at Blade, or are you going to help save your wife?" Fox quickly sprung into action, and the two of them had the equipment and generators set up in record time. Fox ran over and picked up Krystal's body, gently laying her down on a soft white bed, only now noticing that she was still wearing her Cerinian outfit. As he lay her down and applied the sensors, however, he saw the monitor, and what it said nearly killed him. Krystal's heart had stopped beating. His sorrow never brought itself into full force, however, as Elasmus slapped him across the face. He grabbed Fox by the shoulders, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Your wife has just gone into cardiac arrest! If you want her to make it out of this alive, I suggest you prep the defibrillator! Now MOVE!" Fox ran over and got the jumble of wires that was the defibrillator, and quickly brought it over to the bed. Elasmus placed one of its pads over the left side of Krystal's chest, and the other on the right side of her abdomen. Fox ran to her side, and clasped her hand in his.

"Krystal… please be okay… I know you can't hear me now, but I love you, more than anything in this world or beyond. Please, I can't live without you, if you died, I…" Fox realized that he truly meant what he was about to say. "I would too." As he whispered those final words, he felt that the bond he shared with the blue-furred vixen went far deeper than just conventional love. Some spiritual force linked them now: whatever happened to one would also happen to the other. He was shaken out of his reverie by Elasmus' hand resting on his shoulder.

"If you ever want your lover to breathe again," he said seriously, but with an overtone of sympathy in his voice. As Fox released her hand, Elasmus pressed a button. A high pitched whine filled Fox's ears as the defibrillator's battery charged, and his fur stood on end as the air filled with electricity. The last thing Elasmus did before activating the machine was to strap an oxygen mask to Krystal's face and applied various sensor pads to her body. "Clear!" he shouted, pressing another red button. Krystal's body jolted as the electricity was discharged into her, her back leaving the bed entirely. Elasmus glanced at the heart monitor. It hadn't changed. "_Blast!"_ he thought to himself, cursing inwardly, actually more nervous than he let on. "_If I fail, she will die! I've seen too many slip through my fingers… not another! No more, no more!_" Elasmus charged the defibrillator again. "Clear!" Again he pressed the button, and again Krystal's body jerked off the bed, and Elasmus checked the monitor again. Once more, nothing changed. A small red light on another machine began to go off, and a mechanical voice began to speak.

"WARNING! WARNING!" it said monotonely. "OXYGEN LEVELS IN SUBJECT'S BRAIN DANGEROUSLY LOW! ESTIMATED SURVIVAL TIME: 1 MINUTE!" Fox's eyes went wide in fear.

"Do something!" he cried, evidently panicking. Elasmus ignored him, too intent on his task.

"Clear!"

No change.

"45 SECONDS!"

"Clear!"

No change.

"30 SECONDS!"

"CLEAR!" Elasmus cried, getting a little nervous.

No change.

"DANGER! 15 SECONDS!"

"CLEAR!"

No change. Fox panicked and ran to Krystal's side.

"KRYSTAL! DON'T DIE!"

"0 SECONDS. SUBJECT DECEASED." Fox slumped to his knees, his torso falling over Krystal's still form, crying. Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his face in a feral snarl.

"Fox, are you alright?" asked Elasmus, slowly stepping backwards. Without warning, Fox leapt off the ground, tackling Elasmus and punching him across the face.

"This is all YOUR fault!" he screamed, enraged. "Why did you have to get us involved in this! We wanted no part in this stupid war, and now Krystal is dead!" Fox mercilessly beat Elasmus, punching him back and forth across the face. Elasmus, knowing that the angered vulpine could not kill him this way, simply took the beating, until he heard something Fox didn't: the faint, regular bleeping of machinery, and the sound of slow breathing. Elasmus quickly grabbed Fox's arms and forced them behind his head, looking over the enraged fox's shoulder, hoping to see what he thought he would. As he looked at the heart monitor, he saw the jagged line indicating a heartbeat: somehow, Krystal was alive! Elasmus forced Fox to stand, and slapped him across the face to stop his screaming.

"Fox, be still!" he pleaded, staring into his eyes steadily, "Listen! What do you hear?" For a moment, Fox could hear nothing, but then he heard it: the quiet bleeping of the heart monitor and a faint, wheezing sound. As Fox turned to look, he saw a miracle: the line on the heart monitor registered a pulse, if somewhat weak. "Fox; she isn't dead; I don't know how, but she isn't dead." Fox slowly walked back to Krystal's bedside, and tears of joy began to roll from his face as he saw what he did: the gentle rise and fall of Krystal's chest. Little did he know, Krystal had just embarked on a journey that would change her forever.

* * *

Krystal floated in a blue liquid as she awoke. At first, she clutched her throat, her eyes wide, searching frantically for the surface as she realized she was under water, but then stopped, when to her great surprise found she wasn't drowning, and that she could breathe fine. She looked down at herself, and saw she was wearing her Cerinian clothes, and noticed that she had never changed out of them. She looked up, and saw many strange creatures swimming before her, and she was shocked as she recognized them. "That's _Yohoia_, and _Anomalocaris_, and there's _Opabinia_!" she thought to herself, "I learned about them when I was studying with Fox, but these creatures are all extinct! Am… am I dead?" Suddenly, Krystal heard a feminine voice in her head, speakin in soothing, melodic tones.

"_No, my child, you are not dead,"_ said the voice, soothingly, as another perso appeared in front of her: a blue furred vixen much like herself, only with a slightly more mature looking face, different features, and she was wearing a trailing white dress.

"Who are you; where am I?" Asked Krystal, amazed at this sight. The mysterious woman extended her hand.

"_Come with me, child; there is much that I must show you."_

* * *

Okay, time to clear things up: In case anyone doesn't know what a defribrillator is, it's a machine with two pads that is hooked up to a person who is in cardiac arrest, and is used to administer an electric shock to restart the heart. And yes, while I can't operate a normal defibrilator, I am licensed to operate an eutomatic external defibrillator, or an AED. I hope that this chapter was clear and not confusing, and I hope that you enjoyed it!


	7. Reaper

Hello everybody! Geez, it's been a long time since I posted... School just started, so I anf my co-author have been busy. So to make up for the long wait, here is a near 7000 word long chapter! In it, someone from Krytal's past returns; someone Krystal never thought she would see again. You wanna find out who? Read on...

And now, we return to our feature presentation....

* * *

Krystal stood in a field of tall, golden grass, a gentle breeze ruffling her fur. She turned to face the mysterious blue vixen standing beside her. She seemed very familiar, but Krystal couldn't remember where she had seen her before. "Who are you, and where have you taken me?" The vixen grinned.

"_You will see,_" she said cryptically. "_Look, over there, and you will see._" Krystal turned her head to look, and saw a small family making their way through the tall grass. They were a trio of blue-furred foxes, a mother, a father, and a little girl, 6 at her oldest, following behind them. On their arms, they had tattoos that were identical to Krystal's. Krystal gasped, realizing where she was.

"Cerinia…" she whispered, unable to believe her eyes.

"_Yes, keep watching._" The family made their way deeper into the grasses, laughing and playing as they ran. Suddenly, there was some rustling in the bushes at the edge of the field. A little girl, a surprisingly black-furred jackal, ran out of the bushes. She appeared to be about 6 or 7, and she was crying inconsolably. She ran towards the family of foxes, and the mother picked her up, gently shushing the child. Krystal gasped: she knew who the mysterious vixen was.

"Mother?"

* * *

Katt carried Flaco into a clearing and laid him down on the damp grass. I twould no doubt tarnish the finish on his boots, but that was just an added bonus. As she stood up, she noticed something in his pocket. A brief examination using her tactical field experience showed it to be a stimulation pack that would temporarily increase the metabolism of the user, making them faster, stronger, and more agile than normal for a limited amount of time. She thought a while, and smiled wickedly.

* * *

Reaper strode down the halls of the Doppelganger base confidently, her sword hanging at her belt, her left arm encased in a heavy gauntlet. She was a black-furred jackal, and an assassin; one of the best. She had a long, white scar that ran over her right eye, and she wore a dark purple belly-shirt and matching, form-fitting pants. Her clothes left her stomach exposed, allowing her more freedom and precision than most. Her long, black hair was bound in a ponytail, with her bangs clumped in spikes of hair that hung slightly over her face. Her ears twitched slightly as she opened the door at the end of the hallway, and proceeded into the room. Suddenly, two crossbow bolts shot out towards her from the walls. In a fraction of a second, she had drawn her blade and blocked both bolts, one with her sword and the other with her gauntlet. She grinned. "Hello, Psion," she said calmly, smirking as the tall Shi'Krii strode out from concealment, clapping slowly.

"_Very good, very good,_" he said. "_I trust you received my message?_" She nodded, and Psion almost started to laugh; a frightening concept in its own right. "_I think you'll enjoy this mission," _he said, his voice echoing in Reaper's mind. _"A certain Krystal McCloud is somewhere on this planet." _Reaper's heart nearly stopped as she heard the name of the one who had banished her all those years ago. _"I want you to find her… and end her!"_ Reaper smiled; this was exactly the job she wanted. Finally, she would get her revenge!

* * *

Fox held Krystal's hand tight; she seemed so fragile lying on the cot, like the slightest breeze could snap her in two. An SCBA was attached to her face, and various needles and sensors adorned her arms. A wide array of tubes ran from her frail body to numerous IV machines, pumping various fluids into her still form. A tear ran down Fox's face, and he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and saw Elasmus standing next to him, his eyes worried. "You okay?" the doppelganger asked, and Fox wondered how Elasmus could be so kind while the others were so cruel.

"Yeah," he replied softly, his voice barely audible. He hadn't eaten in 10 hours, but he didn't care. He would stay with Krystal, no matter what.

* * *

Krystal stared wide-eyed in amazement. "M-mother?" she asked, not believing her eyes. The woman nodded, and a small tear formed in Krystal's eye.

"_Keep watching,"_ her mother said, and Krystal turned her head back to the field. The scene had changed, and now she looked on a graduation hall. She saw herself and the jackal standing side by side, and she realized the jackal was Onyx, whom she had grown up with as though they were sisters. The two were dressed in traditional Cerinian garb, and they held themselves in pride. An old cat walked up to them, and handed Krystal her staff, and handed Onyx a long, black-bladed katana, a large ruby glistening in its pommel. Krystal watched as the scene changed once more. This time, she saw Onyx, her blade buried to the hilt in the chest of the old schoolmaster, his eyes wide in disbelief. The scene morphed again, and she saw herself banishing Onyx on charge of murder, stripping her surrogate sister of her telepathic powers. A tear came to her eye at the memory of how she had been forced to strip Onyx of her psychic prowess and banish her to the treacherous jungles of Cerinia. The image melted, and Krystal found herself once again in the golden field. She turned to face her mother, her eyes haunted.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked quietly, reeling from the images. Her mother slowly turned to face her, her eyes grim.

"To prepare you." Krystal felt the ground grow soft beneath her feet, and she looked down. To her horror, she saw the ground beneath her dissolving into an inky, black void. She clawed desperately at the air, reaching out for her mother, but to no avail. Her hands passed the quickly dissipating edge, and she fell with a long scream as Cerinia devoured her.

* * *

Krystal sat bolt upright, screaming, her eyes wide in terror. Fox nearly jumped out of his seat as she woke, startled by her sudden alertness. "Krystal! KRYS!!" he yelled, desperately trying to calm her down. She stopped screaming, and turned to face him,eyes wide in terror.

"F-Fox?" she stuttered, her pupils the size of pinpricks. He nodded, tears rimming his eyes. He was smiling, overjoyed that his love was alright. Krystal buried her face in his fur, hugging him tight, her body trembling in fear. Fox wrapped his arms around her, leaning his neck against her soft hair. "I was so scared…" she whispered, her trembling voice barely audible.

"Me too," replied Fox, beginning to break down. "I thought I'd lost you." Tears ran down his face, all of the fear and anxiety coming out in a single moment. "Krystal… I… I can't live without you." Suddenly, Krystal pulled away from him, abruptly ending the hug. She pulled the needles out of her arms and the mask off her face, and looked into Fox's wet eyes. "Fox… someone's coming. Someone from my past. I think… I think she's going to try to kill me."

* * *

Falco woke up, sputtering and wiping water from his eyes. When he could see again, he looked up to fin Katt standing over him, holding a now-empty bucket. "Wha-I-What was that for?!" he stuttered, in shock. Katt just grinned and ran off, _much_ faster than normal. "Hey now, don't… aw, come on!" Falco had just noticed the ring of mud surrounding him, just a tiny bit too wide to step over. "She'll pay for this," he muttered, trying to step over without actually touching the mud. "These boots are expensive! Wait, what if… Katt did some sort of handspring to avoid triggering a mine a while back, I wonder if I can do it…" He jumped, landed on his hands, and immediately did a faceplant straight into the mud. He got up, fuming, and set off after Katt's already distant laughter. Her footprints were actually pretty hard to follow, as they were about five feet apart. She also seemed to have jumped over enormous boulders, which he had to go around. So it was a surprise to him when he saw Katt bending over by a bush, apparently tired out. She looked over and saw him. He would probably pay for it, but he had to say something. "C'mon, how long did – mmrf!" Katt had practically flown at him, knocking him to the ground and slapping a hand across his mouth. She gestured for him to be quiet, and led him to the bush she had been by and pointed to a gap between the branches. Falco looked through and nearly cried out before Katt muffled his beak again.

* * *

Reaper crouched in the underbrush, her blade drawn. She watched Krystal and Fox embrace, and grimaced. _"Huh, she really does have everything she could ever dream of," _she mused to herself. Reaper smirked; that was all about to change. Reaper made her way through the bushes to where Fox and Krystal were. The gem in the hilt of her blade began to glow; Fang was thirsty for blood. Slowly, Reaper made her way up the cliff face, reminding herself how Krystal had taken everything from her. Reaper grinned maliciously: finally, she would have her revenge!

* * *

Savant paced back and forth anxiously; he had sent Elasmus down yesterday and he still hadn't returned. The transmission screen began to beep loudly, and Savant absentmindedly hit the answer call button. To his surprise, Elasmus appeared on the holo-screen. "Elasmus!" he said, shocked. "What's taking so long?"

"I have located Fox and Krystal. Shortly after I found them, Psion's troops attacked, and Krystal was nearly killed." Savant's eyes grew grim as he listened to his son's report.

"Relate details of events," he said coldly, and Elasmus began to speak. He told him how before he had found Fox, Fox had fought Psion in single combat. He was about to continue when Savant cut him short. "Did you scan Fox's mind?" Elasmus looked confused.

"Father?"

"Psion wouldn't have let Fox live unless there was something in it for him," Savant explained. "He could have placed a mental tracer in Fox's psyche, and that would explain how he found you. Tell me; how close are you to Fox and Krystal's location?" Elasmus' eyes widened; he hadn't even thought of the possibility of a mental tracer!

"Two miles," he said, realizing his mistake. For all he knew, Psion could have already sent a battalion of troops to their location. He didn't know how wrong he was.

* * *

Fox rummaged through Elasmus' ship's cargo, carefully sifting through the plethora of weapons, medical equipment, and scientific apparatus. Finally, he found what he was looking for: two suits of tactical armor. He smirked; Savant had had these custom made for he and Krystal: his had more armoring while hers was less armored, but more flexible. Savant had even colored them according to their preferences: Fox's was red and green, and Krystal's was purple. He pulled on his suit over what was left of his clothes, and he returned to the campsite. Slowly, he walked over to his wife. She was running her hands over her staff, delicately polishing its blue shaft and golden tips. He tapped her on the shoulder, and handed her the combat suit. She smiled in gratitude, took the suit from his hands, and kissed him lightly on the muzzle. She pulled the armor on, its lightly plated surface sliding over her body like a second skin. Fox smiled; he was so lucky to have her. Suddenly, he felt a burning pain in his chest. He looked down, and saw a black blade protruding from his left pectoral, just a couple inches shy of his heart. "K…Krystal…" he stuttered, and fell to the ground as his vision went black.

* * *

Falco and Katt watched the scene in amazement: Slippy and Amanda were backed up against a corner of a doppelganger base, fighting for all they were worth. Slippy seemed to be covering his wife while she readied something. Ducking around a shot from a doppelganger, he shouted something to her, and she nodded and threw the sphere she was holding at the enemy forces. It hid the ground right in the middle of their formation, and exploded, a blinding flash of white emanating from the blast point. Dozens of the grey aliens disintegrated as the flash consumed them, the energy blasting their bodies into grey muck before they could even scream. The survivors fled, their black eyes wide, all sense of organization lost before the incredible power of Amanda's bomb. Suddenly, one by one, the fleeing soldiers began to burst into flame, howling in agony as they slowly burned to death. The rest looked around, and immediately snapped to attention, but their fate was sealed the moment they fled from battle. Bright flames engulfed their bodies, and they fell to the ground screaming, desperately clawing at their bodies in a futile attempt to extinguish the flames. The flames baked them into crumbling charcoal, crumbling sculptures of the last forms they had taken. Finally, a single doppelganger strode out from the base, looking far more sinister than its deceased brethren. It was freakishly tall and thin, a vague skeletal structure visible beneath its grey flesh. Its eyes were narrow, and both of its hands were in the form of menacing, razor-sharp three-pronged claws. The corners of its eyes turned upwards, giving it the impression of an evil smirk, and it lifted one of its claws. Suddenly, an immense stone wall erupted from the ground behind Slippy and Amanda, cutting off any possible retreat. It smiled evilly, and in a voice heard in the mind rather than the ears, said "_Fine then, I'll kill you myself. I am Psion, one of the oldest of my race. Prepare to die!_" Psion brought its hands together, and a red beam of energy shot straight at the Toads, who barely managed to dive aside in time to avoid the deadly lance of energy. Psion shuddered, glowed a dark orange, and pointed directly at Slippy, muttering something… and Katt fired. A thick bolt of purple plasma erupted from the barrel of her blaster towards Psion, who turned its head, eyes wide open in shock, before being hit full on by the laser burst and flying sideways into the wall, a steaming hole burned into its emaciated torso.

"RUN!" shouted Katt, running out of the bushes and grabbing Amanda by the hand and sprinting back into the forest, Slippy and Falco following close behind them. She distributed what was left of the stim-pack among her companions, and they bolted off, Amanda scooping up R.O.B. once more. Psion, grunting in pain, laughed maniacally. "_Not if I have anything to say about it!"_It jumped high into the air, eyes glowing red, and streaked off in pursuit.

* * *

Krystal heard her name being whispered behind her, and sensed something was wrong. She turned, and screamed. Fox lay bleeding on the floor, and behind him, stood a jackal. Her jet-black fur glistened in the blood-red sun, her left arm encased in a steel gauntlet, her right hand clutching a black sword dripping with Fox's blood. She wore a purple belly-shirt and pants, but what horrified Krystal most was her right eye: a long white scar ran from her forehead, over the eye, and down her face, all the way to her jaw. "Onyx…" Krystal whispered, tears budding in her eyes at the sight of she who was once family. Onyx's eye twitched, and she suddenly leapt at Krystal, her blade raised viciously above her head to strike. Krystal barely managed to bring her staff up in time to block the strike, shuddering as the tremendous force of the impact sent violent vibrations through her body. Krystal reeled back, bringing her staff up to block as Onyx struck again and again, the furious onslaught terrifying her.

"YOU LOST THE RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT YEARS AGO!" screamed Onyx, her face a hideous mask of twisted rage. Krystal managed to wrap her leg around Onyx's, and pulled forward, tripping the enraged jackal. Onyx leapt backwards, doing a handspring and landing on her feet in a low crouch, smiling maliciously. "I'm not Onyx; Onyx died years ago, when you betrayed me!" spat the jackal, her eyes gleaming wickedly. "Now I'm Reaper, Krystal! You took everything from me, and now, I'm going to do the same to you!" Reaper lunged forward, wildly slashing at Krystal. Krystal blocked and dodged furiously, but to her horror, Reaper's mind was like a blank slate, completely devoid of intention, her thoughts hidden away behind a wall of rage. Reaper grinned, and swung her blade down at Krystal's head. Just as Krystal raised her staff to block, however, Reaper rammed her gauntleted fist into Krystal's gut. The impact drove Krystal's feet off the ground. Her eyes widened and she grunted in surprise and agony as the metal made contact with her body, her battlesuit's armor plates shattering around the impact, barely preventing her internal organs from being mashed into red pudding. She heard her ribs snap like twigs, and she flew into the air, ramming into the cave ceiling. Krystal fell to the stone floor, crawling desperately away from Reaper, who was laughing hysterically. She almost didn't notice as she heard Reaper's footsteps slowly walking away. Krystal's hopes soared back to life as she saw a small piece of grey putty lying just in front of her: a piece of a doppelganger medicine ball. She forced it through her lips, almost losing it as she coughed, blood spilling from her mouth, and swallowed the bland substance. She gargled in agony as she felt her body begin to repair itself, and after a few seconds of mind-twisting pain as her shattered bones and bruised organs re-knit themselves, she was relatively fine, albeit a bit exhausted and bruised. She pulled herself to her feet, and turned to face Reaper. As she turned, Krystal gasped in horror: Reaper was holding Fox's limp body up against her own, her blade a mere inch away from his throat. Tears welled in Krystal's eyes, spilling over her eyelids and running down her cheeks.

"Onyx… please…" she whispered. Reaper's eye twitched, and she plunged her sword into Fox's shoulder. Krystal screamed as she saw Reaper stab Fox, helpless to do anything about it.

"I told you not to call me that!" Reaper whispered evilly, her voice dripping with hate. "You lost that right long ago!" Reaper threw Fox aside, and rushed Krystal. "DIE!!" she screamed, her face a mask of rage. Krystal could barely keep up with the vicious assault from Reaper, spinning her staff wildly to deflect the wild array of blade strikes directed at her. "You were like a sister to me, Krystal!" cried Reaper, releasing all of the anger and hurt she had felt in the flurry of blows, tears of rage and pain spilling from her violet eyes. "You abandoned me, 'sister'! You took my link, and all for something _I didn't do_!" Reaper brought her sword down hard, and Krystal blocked with her staff. The two stood there, each struggling to overpower the other, neither succeeding.

"You killed Rahnj!" cried Krystal. "What do you mean you did nothing? You killed him with the very blade he gave you, Onyx!" Reaper snapped. She brought her knee up hard, catching Krystal under the ribs. Krystal grunted as the air flew out of her body, and she dropped her staff. Reaper kicked the Cerinian weapon away, walked over to her, and grabbed Krystal by the neck with her gauntleted hand, crushing her windpipe against the stone wall.

"I told you not to call me that," said Reaper, her eye twitching lightly. Krystal's eyes bulged in their sockets, her fingernails scratching desperately on Reaper's gauntlet, her lungs hunting frantically for air. Reaper loosened her grip, and drew a black dagger from her belt. She stabbed it into Krystal's shoulder, again and again, smiling as she watched the person who had destroyed her life scream in agony, smiling as she heard Krystal's screams. She drew the blade back, and stared into Krystal's tear rimmed eyes. "And now, 'sister', you die!" Just as she was about to plunge the jagged blade into Krystal's heart, however, a bullet blasted the blade from her hand. She turned her head, and saw Fox, standing unsteadily, an assault rifle in his hands. Blood trickled from his wounds, gathering in a red pool beneath his feet. By all means, he should not have been standing.

"Get away from my wife," he said, his eyes grim. His legs may have been quavering, but his aim was dead on, the barrel of the gun pointed straight at Reaper's skull. Reaper grinned, and before Fox could do anything, had moved Krystal between him and her, Reaper's black sword at her neck, its blade glowing hungrily. Fox dropped his gun in shock, and Reaper lunged forward. Fox waited for the inevitable, but it never came. He opened his eyes, and saw Elasmus grappling with Reaper, each combatant rolling over one another as they fought.

"Go! GO!!" cried Elasmus. "Get into my ship; I'll be right there!" Fox grabbed Krystal's hand, and supported himself on her shoulder as she stood. He coughed, blood running down his chin as they hobbled as fast as they could to Elasmus' fighter. The last thing Fox remembered was Krystal lowering him into a passenger seat, and the world went dark.

* * *

The ground behind Falco burst into flames, and he nearly fell into Katt, who was directly in front of him. The fact that she didn't blush was a testimony to the seriousness of their situation. They were being chased by an insane telepath with god-like powers and a revenge-fueled bloodlust, without any transportation besides running or any knowledge of neither Fox nor Krystal. Things were not looking up, and Katt wasn't really in the mood for blushing. Not quite. An ancient tree toppled over in front of them, and they were forced to scatter to avoid its tangled net of sharp, weather worn branches as they smashed into the ground around them. When they regrouped, they were again split up by a lightning strike in their midst, followed by a pillar of stone shooting violently up from the charred soil. R.O.B. poked his head out of Amanda's pocket and said "I believe I might be of assistance in your escape."

"Well, any help would be appreciated," replied Amanda, almost not realizing that she was actually believing that a robot the size of a shoe could somehow help them escape from what was the closest thing to a god she had ever seen.

"Good. Stay near. Don't step on me." R.O.B. hopped down and scurried towards an outpost they had passed in their flight a while ago. He made good time, and had no trouble opening the hangar doors. The confused guards spent a while looking for intruders, but whirled around a moment later as an aircraft whirred to life of its own accord. The powerful fighter jet fired its lasers, and every last guard was dispatched in a matter of seconds, mowed down as easily as a hot knife through butter. R.O.B zoomed out of the hangar doors, piloting his new-found ship like a pro. When he had caught up with Psion a couple minutes later, he had already primed all of the crafts many weapons to fire at full power and had calculated the crazed telepath's future position based on flight speed, vector, and acceleration. He fired, unleashing the full scale of the vessel's impressive ordinance in a single blast… and at that exact moment, Psion dove out of the way, the barrage of lasers and plasma zipping over the doppelganger's lithe form. The bolts blistered over Psion's head, and he spun to face this new threat. He dodged the next shots with ease, and slammed into the fighter jet's rear engine. R.O.B. adjusted fuel output and kept shooting, once again under control of his damaged craft. Psion evidently didn't know he was up against a computer.

* * *

Reaper struggled against Elasmus, trying futilely to shove the shapeshifter off of her grunted, and punched him across the jaw with her gauntleted fist, a punch that on anyone else would have reduced their head to a mushy, red, soup. Elasmus merely turned his head all the way around, moving as her fist brushed his face. She managed to get her sword arm underneath Elasmus' body, but as she thrust the blade upwards, he opened a hole in his body, and to her horror, closed it around her arm. She grabbed his head with her gauntlet, but as she did, he forced one of his hands into her mouth. As he did, he liquefied his hand, allowing it to spill down her throat before solidifying it again. Reaper gagged, and Elasmus grabbed her gauntleted hand with his free hand, pulling it away from his face. She kicked and struggled but to no avail. She bucked up and down, her body thrashing violently as her lungs searched desperately for air, her eyes wide in terror, every one of her muscles tense. The last thing she saw was Elasmus glaring down at her. Then her world faded into darkness.

* * *

Psion crawled to the front blaster of R.O.B.'s ship, and wrenched it out of its holdings before using it to quickly and efficiently transform the fighter craft into something akin to a paper snowflake. He sank lasers blast after blast into the ship's main engines, wings, and rear gun before proceeding to the cockpit, smiling as the ship's engines and weapon systems exploded with a satisfying boom. He looked into the smoldering remains of the cockpit, and at first thought that the pilot had ejected, until a quick scan of the surrounding area showed no sentient life forms outside of the Hive. _Robots_, he thought both to himself and to the Hive mind as the ship died down. _Don't trust malfunctioning machinery_. He then plunged his hand into the cockpit and wrenched out a struggling R.O.B. "_You couldn't have thought you could beat me with a mere starship," _he chuckled. "_It's going to take a _lot_ more than tha – "_ Psion never finished his sentence as he was whipped across the face by a branch scraping the ship as it plummeted towards the ground, and dropped R.O.B. in shock. The robot quickly skittered to the gun Psion had Psion had taken from the ship, propped it up, and fired. A burst of blood-red plasma erupted from the laser cannon, tearing a hole horizontally through the one Katt had blasted in Psion. The blast cut him cleanly in two. He fell, almost reaching the ground before he started to laugh. His maniacal screech echoed and rebounded through the primeval forest, so even as R.O.B. reached the exhausted group he had left, they could still hear his eerie cackle slicing through the silence.

"Well," said R.O.B. matter-of-factly, "I recommend that we find a way off of this planet."

* * *

Reaper sat up slowly, rubbing her head. She was alone in a cave, high up on a mountain. She looked around, and cursed when she found her quarry gone. She stood, and brushed the dirt from her body, jogging down the cliffside towards her ship. As she climbed into the crescent-shaped star-fighter, she typed in a set of coordinates, coordinates all too familiar to the Star Fox team: Sargasso.

* * *

Wolf sat slouched in his command chair, grumbling; there was nothing to do nowadays! He was bored out of his skull from all the waiting that was going on; he really hated peacetime. He heard the doors slide opened and shut, and swirled around in his chair. "What?!" he yelled, irritated, and sighed as he saw that no one was there. "Alright, Leon, I know you're there. What do you want?" As Wolf finished his sentence, the chameleon faded into view, his eyes each looking in different directions: one at Wolf, and the other at the weapons rack. Wolf shuddered; that always creeped him out.

"Those automatic doors take all the fun out of stealth," muttered the chameleon, irritated that he could no longer leap out of random doorways as a prank. "We've detected an incoming unidentified vessel. I've never seen anything like it," Leon mused in admiration of the strange fighter he had seen. "It's like a weapon in and of itself." Wolf sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Alright, patch them through," Wolf said tiredly. "And get Panther in here; no reason he shouldn't suffer through these conferences." A few moments later, Panther walked through the door, looking extremely irritated.

"What is it, Wolf?" he growled, his heavy Spanish accent rumbling in his chest. "I was… busy." Then Panther saw that the "call waiting" light was flashing. He rolled his eyes, and Wolf hit the "answer" button. Immediately, the face of a young, female jackal appeared on the screen. Panther was all ears from that moment on.

"Alright, miss," began Wolf, "you–" the jackal cut him off.

"I know who you are, Wolf, Leon, Panther," she said calmly, "You are team Star Wolf, rivals of team Star Fox. Panther is your newest member; before him you had Andrew Oikonny and Pigma Dengar on your team, however both were expelled, leaving you with only two members until Panther showed up. Now you have three, leaving you at a disadvantage, as Star Fox has six members." Panther whistled, and Wolf glared at the jackal, his single eye glistening in the dim light.

"Alright, you may land. Proceed to docking bay 4." Wolf cut off the transmission, and turned on the station-wide intercom. "Attention all troops: there is an unidentified craft landing in docking bay 4. Kill the pilot." Wolf shut off the intercom, and drummed his fingers on his armrest. If this jackal could fight her way up to him, he may have finally found a fourth team member. If not… well, that was one less person who knew too much. Wolf smiled; either way, he won.

* * *

Reaper landed her vessel in the Sargasso station, her ears twitching, instinctually and futilely attempting to pick up thoughts from inside the massive space station. Even though she was no longer telepathic, she could still sense that something was wrong. Before she climbed out of her cockpit, she put the steel gauntlet on over her arm, ensuring that the strength-enhancing armor was tightly fastened and secured. As her feet hit the ground, she drew Fang, it blade growing hungrily. Her tall ears twitched as she approached the door, picking up a faint clicking noise from the other side of the door. The door slid open, and he came face-to-face with the barrel of a gun. Reaper dropped to the floor as the ape wielding the blaster fired, and as she got up, she led with her blade, impaling the guard under the ribs. The ape gurgled as he fell to the ground, and Reaper pulled fang out of the corpse. She was surrounded by a group of apes and dogs, each wielding an assault rifle, with more behind them in turrets, and some even in small battlemechs. She grinned; too easy. She leapt straight into the air, and the guards opened fire. Bullets and shells whizzed past her, and she deflected the ones that would have hit with her blade. She angled herself towards her first victim, a tall husky, and as her boots made contact with his chest, he plunged Fang into his neck. She backflipped away from the body as a barrage of munitions tore into it, conjuring throwing tars from the life energy of her victims that was stored in Fang. Reaper moved her hand in a swift arc, flinging the glowing red blades through the air. They ripped through the rocket packs on three of the mechs, causing them to burst into raging infernos, incinerating the troops closet to them. As she landed Reaper found herself directly between a pair of German shepherds. As they opened fire, Reaper dropped into a full split, pressing her torso against the steel floor. The bullet whizzed over her and embedded themselves into the bodies of the two guards. Reaper flipped to her feet, and saw a baboon charging her, howling in rage, firing his machine gun rapidly. She deflected the bullets with her gauntlet, and as he entered melee range, she slapped him backhand across the face with her steel-encrusted hand. The man's head twisted around 180̊, his neck snapping loudly as he flew backwards through the air. A turret fired a shell at Reaper, and her blade began to glow in her hand. She swung it in a downward arc, red energy lancing out from the blade. The arc of energy sliced the shell in two, and continued on, splitting the turret in half like a coconut truck by a machete. The guards turned and ran in terror as Reaper sent arcs of energy slicing through their heavy artillery, reducing turrets and mechs to so many piles of scrap. Reaper leapt through the fleeing crowd like a demon, stabbing and crushing her opponent mercilessly. They fell left and right about her; Reaper was a hunter, and they were her prey. A group, the last 10 remaining survivors of Reaper's terrible onslaught, ran onto the elevator, escaping to the highest level of the station. Reaper followed them up, leaping from wall to wall in the shaft, propelling herself upwards with every jump. She smashed through the elevator floor as the guards ran off the platform, sending shards of glass flying through the air. The guards opened fire, running down the corridor. Reaper darted between them, slitting their throats as she passed, making it impossible to discern Fang' s red glow from the blood that soaked the dark blade. The men gurgled as they fell, their last, strained breath hissing through their lips. One was left, an ape armed with a machine gun. He ran as fast as he could, but Reaper, who had begun to run on all fours, was upon him in the blink of an eye. She leapt off the ground, and hammered her boots into the fleeing ape's back, who cried out in pain and fear as he fell to the ground. She picked him up by the neck, and pushed him against the door that was behind him.  
"Wh… What are you?" he asked, his eye wide in terror. Reaper grinned, and drove Fang through his body. As he died, she leaned in close, and whispered a single word into his ear.

"Reaper."

* * *

Wolf grinned as he saw the blade pierce the door; hi guest had arrived, and hadn't left a single adversary living. The blade withdrew, and he pressed the button to open the doors. The doors slid open, and in strode a female jackal. She had a white scar over her right eye, and her left arm was encased in a steel gauntlet, slick with blood. Her fur was flecked with tiny spot of red liquid, and he wore a purple, sleeveless, form-fitting belly shirt and a pair of purple combat tights. Panther whistled, and walked over to her, his eyes wandering over her body. "Mrhhhh," he purred, grinning slightly. "I am Panther, and–" The jackal grabbed his outstretched arm, planted her boot against his chest, and flipped him over her head to land with a crash. Panther got up, rubbing his head. "Why you…" he growled, anger setting in. "I'll teach you to defy Panther Caroso!"He charged forward, but stopped when the jackal drove her foot into his groin, without even turning around. His eyes widened, and she brought her other leg around, her whole body spinning as she kicked Panther across the jaw. The big black cat fell to the ground, unconscious, and the jackal landed lightly on her feet,

"Males," she muttered under her breath, annoyed at how so many men seemed to be unable to control themselves around women. Wolf was grinning widely, and Leon shook his head, laughing in his raspy voice.

"Well then, miss, I do believe you came to speak with me," Wolf said calmly, smiling. "I hope you'll forgive the reception; you can never be too careful," he said. "_That, and I don't want to waste my time on amateurs,_" he thought inwardly. The jackal nodded.

"Of course. In fact," she said slowly, "I was rather disappointed. I expected more from the men following the famous Wolf O'Donnell." Wolf chuckled.

"Well, I'd make introductions, but it seems you already know who we are. Tell me; who are you?" The jackal grinned a smile curving her lips.

"Reaper." Wolf's eyes widened and Leon whistled; there was no way Reaper was a single person!

"Wait," Wolf said, confused. "You're telling me that the Reaper organization sent you?"

"There is no organization; I am Reaper." Wolf grinned; the Reaper organization was responsible for countless deaths, most in hard to reach places. Now that he knew that they were actually one person, it only sweetened the deal. Reaper was a name known throughout the criminal underworld, and having that name behind him would be extremely advantageous. Reaper examined her claws casually, leaning on her sword. "I was wondering if you needed an extra wingman," Reaper said casually, as if she was asking how the weather was or what the date was.

"Well, yes, some more help would be wonderful," Wolf replied, grinning, his sharp fangs showing in his smile, "but why would someone like you want to join us?" By this time, Panther had woken up, and had grudgingly taken an armchair near Wolf's seat.

"Because I require assistance in my latest mark, and I believe that you will enjoy this mission." Wolf leaned forward in his seat, intrigued.

"Who's the mark?" asked Wolf, his one eye narrowing dangerously. Reaper grinned, her white, sharp fangs glistening briefly.

"A certain Krystal McCloud." Wolf grinned: a powerful ally with a vendetta against StarFox: this was _exactly_ what he needed.

* * *

"_You failed. Again! Your so-called infallible attack force destroyed the StarFox team's ships, but did _not_ kill the pilots. You have since let all six of their members escape you, and even now they could be slipping beyond our grasp!" _The Queen's rage was terrible to behold, and it was all Psion could do to keep his thoughts under control. It would not do to slip up now, not after centuries of planning. _"Savant's plans have been ruined, on account of __your__ mistakes!"_

"_Savant? That _miserable _excuse for a Shi'Krii? He betrayed you! He betrayed our entire __race__! _His _plan?!"_

"_Yes. I disagree with him on many counts, but he is still one of us, and his loyalty remains true. I find it… _disturbing_ that he has genetically altered himself and his followers, but he has simply found his own path on the pursuit of perfection we all posess. He tricked the StarFox team into attacking us, and _you _botched it! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"_

"_I sent an attack force to deal with the avian and the feline; I assumed they would be successful. They were not. The feline shot me when I was off-guard, and a robot they had with them attacked me using a ship he stole. I was… overconfident," _Psion said grudgingly; he hated admitting his mistakes.

"_Clearly. Look at yourself! Their ragtag band has reduced you to THIS!" _raged the Queen, gesturing to the misshapen lump of flesh that was Psion. Psion had seen better days; the shot R.O.B. had fired had robbed him of his legs and a significant portion of his body mass, and he had to consume even more of his own mass to form new legs. He was worn thin; he looked like an _infant_.

"_They will not escape me again. They will soon be at my mercy."_ The Queen stared down at Psion, glaring dangerously.

"_Good. Do not fail again."_ Psion turned and strode down the hall, completing his last sentence under his breath.

"_As will you."_

Ok! we have once again put EVERYBODY's lives at risk, and now someone who _really_ hates Krystal is after them! I hope you guys like Reaper; she is a character of my design. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; we'll try to get the next one up soon!

PS: The reason Psion is alternately referred to as "he" and "it" is because ome characters do not know of his percieved gender.

PSS: If you like this story and have played Oblivion, check out my other story (written with no co-author), "A Dark Past, and a Brighter Future"! (And if you haven't played Oblivion, play it! It's INTENSE!)

* * *


	8. Progress

Hi. This is Baeowulf's co-author speaking. (Typing.) (Whatever.) Sorry about the delay, but Baeowulf took a long time to e-mail me, and I took a long time on the chapter, so... Anyway, it took a long time. But here it is! This chapter is all me, for the first time ever! Where is the mysterious Astral Plane? What is it? What were the Doppelgangers doing with such a big ship? What do all these questions even mean? Keep reading!

* * *

"Krystal, who was that jackal we fought earlier?" said Fox, feeling much better after a doppelganger healing. He and Krystal, along with Elasmus, were on board the doppelganger's ship, flying back to the _Ensthiasmus_. Both had required several hours to recuperate, and this was the first time they were alone together again, watching the ship's controls as Elasmus talked to Savant.

"She was Onyx… Reaper, now. My parents found her, orphaned, on Cerinia a long time ago. They adopted her, and we grew up like sisters. Then… she attacked an elder. As the future-queen-in-training, I was forced to exile her. I stripped her of her powers and, most unwillingly, sent her away. She clearly hasn't forgiven me. She's set herself fully against the Cerinians who are still alive… many are dead now, because of her." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she finished her sentence. She wiped it away, sniffling.

"I still miss her, and I couldn't bear to do anything to hurt her, but she'll probably do anything to try to kill me."

"Well," said Fox gingerly, "I don't know if there's -"

"CHANGE THE COURSE!"

Elasmus came barreling in, wide eyed, and sent everything in the room barreling to one wall as he wrenched the controls around and slammed his fist on the thrusters. He didn't let go until the ship was quite a ways from both the doppelganger planet and the _Ensthiasmus_. Then he turned around to Fox and Krystal and said, very quickly, "Psion knows we're here. There's a psychic tracer implanted in your mind, Fox. I give it fifteen minutes till he catches up."

"So that's how he found us before!" said Fox, standing back up and helping Krystal to her feet. "He's never been more than twenty minutes behind! How can we remove the tracer? Do you know anything about this, Krys?"

Krystal paused. "I've heard of psychic tracers once. It's possible, after years of practice, to put a bit of your own mind in someone else's and use it to find them. Normally, they can't be removed until the subject dies – Calm down, Fox! – Or the tracker removes it himself. However, if a skilled enough telepath were to gain access to your mind and find the tracker, it would be possible to remove or destroy it. I might be able to find some friends who could… could…" she stopped, seeing the looks on both Fox's and Elasmus's face, and groaned.

"Don't even think it, guys, I haven't gotten to anything like – That takes – I can't do it, come on!"

Elasmus spoke up. "Unless you can get one of your friends here and familiar with Fox's mind in the next ten minutes, you won't have a choice."

Krystal sighed and started meditating.

* * *

Falco paced back and forth before the ragtag group in front of him. His vest was long gone, and he was now wearing a long-since empty supply sack. His boots were still in perfect condition, with a slight shine. He stopped pacing. Pacing was bad for his boots.

"Okay. We escaped that Psion thing, but we still don't know where we are. The grey guys might. Fox and Krystal are still missing, we have no way off the planet, and we're running out of supplies. Suggestions?"

Slippy, Amanda, and Katt were all silent. They were as lost as Falco was. "Okay then, I think we should try for another run at a base while we still stand a chance, get in the air, and get out of here before we're all killed."

"Hey!" said Amanda, "Who made you the boss here?"

Falco grinned. "Don't you remember? Fox did." Then he turned around and strode out of the clearing.

Slippy groaned and got to his feet.

About an hour later, Falco motioned for the group to stop, and looked through a gap in the trees. Katt shoved him into a bush, and she, Slippy, and Amanda looked out of the forest for the first time.

"Uh, Falco…" said Slippy, "I don't think finding the Doppelgangers will be much of a problem."

Falco got up, rubbing his head, and looked out. "Uh-oh."

Before them lay miles upon miles of identical grey buildings. Teardrop-shaped pods zipped around them on the ground, coming and going every few seconds. Doppelgangers walked in and out of the buildings, sometimes carrying a crate or two. And in the back, each crate was being loaded onto the biggest ship any of them had ever seen. It wasn't anything like the Great Fox. It wasn't even like a mothership. It seemed big enough to _move_ motherships.

It looked like that's what they were using it for. Katt pulled out a pair of binoculars and peered through them. Even from her vantage point, she could make out ships, arwing-like fighters, turrets, crates of guns… every conceivable method of destruction she knew, and some that she didn't.

"Falco…" she said, giving him the binoculars and pointing, "I don't think they're going to remain on defense for much longer."

Slippy pulled the group back into the forest. "There's more firepower there than I've ever seen. If that get's distributed, Lylat is theirs. There's just no way we can stand up to that. Somehow, we need to get in there and stop it, at least until we can warn Peppy. I can't see any way of getting through their forces, though… That transport is in the middle of their city, and probably guarded on all sides. Even if we could just run for it, we wouldn't make it a mile before we were all shot down."

"So what's your suggestion?" asked Falco.

"What, can't think of anything, _boss_?" asked Katt.

"Hey, cool it! What's with you lately? You've been acting so weird!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"First you hit me, then you jump on me like that…"

"What?" interjected Amanda. "Why'd Katt attack you?"

"She didn't attack me, she, uh… I mean… er…"

"Falco!" she taunted in a singsong voice. "You didn't tell us you and Katt were together!"

Katt was blushing, but she had nothing on Falco. It was all he could do to speak clearly. "That's… I… I didn't… she…"

"We'll give you two some privacy, you should work this out," said Slippy, and the two of them ran off, doubled over with laughter.

"… I'm, um, sorry if I surprised you, I didn't mean to, uh…"

"No, it's… okay, just kinda unexpected."

"…"

"I have… always kinda liked you, I just didn't see anything in it."

"You mean all this time…?"

"I guess. Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I _tried_ to!"

"When?"

"Let's see… every time I've ever helped you, seen you, smiled at you, winked at you…"

"You did?"

"Falco, you…"

"Ow! What was that for?"

"are…"

"Hey!"

"so… clueless! Why do I still like you?"

"Jeez, stop hitting me! Wha'd I do?"

* * *

Krystal opened her eyes, and immediately knew her meditation had worked. She was sitting on a Cerinian hillside, her mother lying beside her.

"Back so soon?" she said, sitting up.

"Yes. I need your help."

"I thought you might," said the vixen, putting an arm on Krystal's shoulder. I'm sorry you need to go through all this so fast. It's hard, and it could be dangerous, I know… Anyway, what is it?"

"There's a psychic tracer in Fox's mind, I need to destroy it."

"Fox?"

"Yeah – wait, you don't…"

"I know nothing of what's happened since I died, except what I've gleaned from careful observation of the astral plane."

"So that's where we are," gasped Krystal, understanding. "And that's why I can talk to you, but you don't already know what I say… I thought this was all in my head."

Her mother winked. "You're a better telepath than you give yourself credit for."

"But that's ridiculous! I haven't had any formal training in years! How can I –"

"I draw you. You can find the astral plane because you can find me. The astral plane houses the spirits of the dead, as you know, but you can find mine. Everyone can do it to a certain extent in dreams, but eventually you'll learn how to come here on your own. Now, who's Fox?"

The reality of the present snapped Krystal back to the urgency at hand, and she remembered why she was there in the first place. "He's my husband, and my flying partner."

"You got MARRIED?" shouted Krystal's mother, jumping back in shock. "Why didn't you tell me that? This is great! What's he like?"

"Mother! This is important!"

"So is your _life_, sweetheart!"

"If you don't help me soon, I won't _be_ alive anymore!"

"Okay, urgency recognized. You said something about a psychic tracer?"

"Yes. There's one in Fox's mind, and it needs to go."

"I take it you know his mind fairly well?" She stopped, and Krystal nodded. "Good. In that case, all you need to do is enter his mind the same way you do the astral plane, and find the tracer. You should be able to walk around normally, but in spirit form. Once you find it, you'll need to just destroy it, it can't be removed without a lot of time and more skill than I have to offer."

"Okay… Thanks, mom. I'll tell you about Fox later."

"Eventually… I can wait."

* * *

Krystal didn't bother returning to the material plane, but simply closed her eyes and felt her way there, finding the familiar consciousness that was Fox. She eased into his mind, and opened her eyes again.

The scene surrounding her was unlike anything she had seen or heard of before. She could _see_ Fox's thoughts, as physical objects. The world was strangely barren, yet clearly organized, she could tell. As well as she thought she knew Fox, there was clearly a lot left to learn.

She took a moment to find out how her surroundings corresponded to Fox's mind, and started scanning the area for anything unusual. There was nothing there out of the ordinary, just idle thoughts. Strangely, based on what she could interpret, she had only been gone a few seconds so far.

She extended her consciousness to the far corners of his thoughts, sweeping for anything unfamiliar to her. As she was nearing the back of his conscious thought, she passed over a nub of his mind she had only felt when she heard Fox's thoughts as he was afraid. There was something different about it now; it was more pronounced, more dominant.

It looked like she had found her quarry, but she really wasn't looking forward to meeting Fox's nightmares in order to get the tracer out.

"No choice," she thought. "No choice, no choice, just gotta… go!"

And she slid into Fox's fears. As soon as she arrived, she looked around, braced for anything, and saw her own corpse, lying next to those of the other Star Fox members. The bodies were draped horrificly over the flaming wreckages of arwings, eyes open and mouths gaping. She noticed that Fox was not among them, and felt a twinge of guilt, mixed with pride, that Fox cared more for his team than for his own life.

It was eerie passing through still life renditions of all the things Fox had ever feared, but as long as she didn't look too closely at any of them, it wasn't too bad. She could already see the tracer, a large black sphere with flashing lights surrounding it. As she readied her magic to destroy it, however, a small, thin figure stepped out from behind it, chuckled, and waved his arm around him, disappearing.

Curious, she pointed at the tracer, preparing to loose her spell, and was swept up into the air by a giant, hairy pincer. She squirmed around to see a gigantic spider bearing down upon her. It was covered in coarse brown hair, and it's many eyes glared up at her menacingly. A stone ceiling had appeared behind her back, and the enormous arachnid slowly began to crush the life out of her against the rock. Krystal's eyes widened in fear as she came to the realization of what had happened:

Fox's nightmares had come alive.

Krystal released a fireball directly at the spider, and the hideous arachnid dropped her, shrieking as its burning fur filled the air with a foul stench, but it appeared unhurt and charged after her in rage. Krystal could barely stay ahead of the monstrosity as she ducked around other horrors beginning to stir. She saw her own dead body rise, walking towards her with a macabre, loping gait, much faster than she anticipated. A strange, wisp-like mirage of Psion appeared, and shifted into an aerodynamic arrow with a wicked tip, and flew at her, piercing the very air as it sped past. She jumped to the side to be lunged at by Andross's ghost. Running for her life now, she saw a pure white version of the staff she had once lost on Sauria lying on the ground.

It was strange to see it here, but she scooped it up as she ran, curious. Immediately she felt new powers surge through her, much more powerful than those she normally had. She spun around, pointing her new weapon at the giant spider, and loosed a blast of pure energy from the tip of the staff. The monster shrieked in agony, and shattered into a thousand shards of thought, scattering through the air as it was blasted to oblivion. The effect on Krystal's energy reserves, however, was incredible. All power drained from the staff, and she could not artificially refill it. She could feel it returning, but nowhere near fast enough to deal with all of the horrors charging her.

She knew it was her best hope, though, so she continued ducking and dodging Fox's fears as she made her way back to the tracer. She reached it safely, but the staff hadn't refueled. She saw the nightmares approaching, looked at her staff, and, suddenly decided, leapt at them.

She beat them back with the magical weapon, physically holding them off. Strangely, it seemed like every time she hit an opponent with her staff, the magical energy it held increased somewhat. Krystal beat back the nightmare's like a maniac, swinging her staff in swift arcs. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and cried out in pain as sharp claws dug into her flesh. Krystal brought her leg up behind her in a kick, dropping her head low to the ground and flipping her assailant over her body, sending monstrosity crashing to the ground. Arms bending backwards, the creature flipped itself to its feet. Its joints were twisted horribly, and its arms and legs bent in places they shouldn't. With a terrible snapping sound, the twisted Lylatian form's bones snapped into place, and it turned to face Krystal, a wicked smile on its face. Krystal gasped: it was her. The other Krystal smiled demonically, her fur singed and her flightsuit ripped and torn. Deep gashes were torn in her belly, and a dribble of red smeared down her face from under her hair. The nightmare-Krystal charged her living counterpart, unsheathing her claws as she did so, baring her teeth in a feral snarl, her body bent impossibly low to the ground. Krystal dodged back, bringing her light-staff up in time to block a vicious slash from her dark other. The two dashed through the dark caverns of Fox's fears, the other nightmares disappearing around them. They fought in a long dark cavern, bizarre, horrific immages forming and dissipating in the walls, always half real, never complete. Krystal fought for all she was worth, but it just wasn't enough. Every kick she threw, every swing she launched with her staff, her other dodged while still moving forward, bending in ways no living person should be able to, often snapping her own bones as she dodged. The corpse-Krystal lunged forward suddenly, driving her fist into Krystal's gut, sending her flying backwards into a stone wall. Krystal's body screamed in pain as she crashed into the stone, and she slid to the ground. The nightmare strode towards her, her cold, black eyes glistenening in the dim light.

"Looks like I'm about to become a reality," she said, a sadistic smile spreading maliciously across her lips. Krystal's eyes widened as the macabre apparition drew her arm back, her claws unsheathing as she prepared to strike. The demon's arm shot forward with blinding speed, and Krystal rolled out of the way, barely in time. Krystal felt a warmth in her left arm, and she looked towards the limb. There was a huge gash torn in it just below the shoulder, and her own blood ran down her arm. Krystal's eyes widened, and she got up. Suddenly, she noticed that her staff had begun to glow a bright white, its light nearly blinding. Krystal leveled it on her knee, pointing it steadily at the nightmnare version of herself. The corpse laughed as she walked slowly towards Krystal, her rasping voice echoing through the caves. "What, you think a little fire can stop me?" Krystal grinned, wincing slightly as she began to notice the burning in her arm.

"No," she said, an unleashed a bright white beam of light from her staff, whisps of energy spiraling along its length. The beam hit the nightmare full in the chest, and the corpse-Krystal screamed as her flesh disintegrated beneath the onslaught. Krystal could feel the power coursing through her veins as she unleashed the massive psychic attack, and felt a strange tingling sensation in her arm. She looked down, and to her surprise, found that the energy from the dissolving nightmare had been channeled into her and had healed her flesh. Krystal looked up, and saw the nightmare crawling towards her. The corpse-Krystal's legs and hips were gone, her spine dragging on the ground behind her as she crawled forward. Krystal got up, and walked over to the nightmare, holding her staff casually in her hand.

"No, you can't possibly win," the corpse rasped, her voice strained. "I am you... no, I am stronger than you! I don't need anything you do; I'm already dead! I've won, you just don't know it!" The corpse dragged herself to Krystal's feet, laughing hysterically. Krystal shook her head, and raised the staff into the air, its deadly-sharp tip pointing straight at the nightmare's head.

"That's what you would think," Krystal said, looking down at the horror at her feet, no longer afraid. "But I have something you don't." Krystal drove her staff down, spearing the demonic creature's head in a single blow. The nightmare shrieked, and exploded into shards of light. Slowly, the cavern walls began to dissolve, the setting melting as the actor dissipated. "Something worth fighting for." Krystal closed her eyes, breathing deeply. When she opened them again, she was standing in the middle of a circle formed by Fox's nightmares. Slowly, one strode forward, one all too familiar. He was a tall, green-scaled saurian. He wore a horned helmet, a red tunic, and where his left hand should have been was a two pronged golden claw: it was General Scales. The general drew a wicked scimitar from his belt, brandishing the blade menacingly, and Krystal stepped back nervously, only to be attacked by an aparoid: she had to face the general. Krystal waited as the general strode forward, biding her time, waiting for the last possible moment. Just as Scales was about to bring his scimitar down on top of her, Krystal leaped into the air, landing on top of Scales, kicking off his head to gain altitude. As she came down, Krystal twirled her staff in her hands, slamming it hime onto the General's helmet, splitting it in two. The helmet melted into shards of light as it broke, dissolving back into Fox's subconcious, and the General howled in anger. Krystal landed behind him, clutching her staff behind her back. The general turned and charged, his eyes red with rage and anger. Krystal rolled out of the way, and engaged the general in combat. The two fought furiously, sword and staff clashing at an immense pace, and with each blow, the staff glowed brighter, replenishing more of its energy reserves. Krystal glanced over her shoulder at the tracker, barely glimpsing it through the... rain? Krystal jumped back and did a quick about-face: she was on board Scales' Galleon, yet another scene crafted specifically for this particular nightmare. Rain poured from the sky, and lightning flashed in the dark clouds. Krystal rushed Scales, charging through the driving rain, and leaped at him, ramming into his midsection. The massive Saurian's feet slipped on the slick floor, and he came toppling to the ground with a huge thud, splintering the wood beneath his body. Krystal backflipped off his chest, and drove her staff's point into his flesh. The general howled in agony... and got up. He punched Krystal unceremoniously off his chest, sending her careening into the wooden rails, and got up, roaring, and tore the staff out of his body, throwing it to the ground next to Krystal. Krystal looked up dazed, and grabbed her staff... just before Scales grabbed her by the neck. He lifted her high off the ground, glaring into her eyes viciously. Krystal kicked and struggled, gasping for air, and her eyes widened as Scales drew back his sword arm, ready to impale her. Krystal glanced over his shoulder; the tracker was so close... without warning, Krystal drove the side of her staff into Scales' temple, startling the massive dinosaur. The stunned general dropped her in surprise, and Krystal hit the ground in a roll, springing to her feet as she completed the maneuver. AS she got to her feet, time seemed to slow down. Scales turned and charged, and rain fell slowly to the earth. Krystal pointed her staff straight at the tracker... and fired. A lance of white energy shot from the weapon's tip, shattering the floating orb into oblivion.

The tracker exploded into bright light, and the magic it held diffused through the tracer and dissolved it completely. The scene melted, and she found herself once again surrounded by Fox's nightmares. Knowing she had only seconds before the monsters behind her caught up, she turned and ran.

As she sped up, nearing the exit, there were fewer and fewer obstacles and enemies before her. Confident, she turned the corner to the exit… to find it blocked.

She turned around, but her way was stopped by the horrors chasing her. Grimacing, she pointed the staff once more, this time at the barrier stopping her from leaving Fox's mind, and channeled her own energy through it. The blockade splintered before her spell, and she sank to the ground, exhausted. So weak that she had to crawl, she went through the gate as fast as she could, turned, and left Fox's consciousness.

Finding herself awake in her own body, she opened her eyes, tried to sit up, and passed out.

* * *

Falco jumped to the side as an arc laser sizzled past him, much too close for comfort. Slippy gestured to join him, behind the wall of the building he was using as cover. Falco gratefully ran up and flattened himself against the wall. Katt was still battling, dodging any shots that her opponents managed to fire. Amanda was hidden on top of a roof, picking off Doppelganger fighters with their one sniper rifle. She had demanded that she be given the weapon despite its limited ammunition, and hadn't missed yet.

Shooting around the corner, Falco asked the toad, "How many of these guys do you think there are? We've been at this a while." Indeed, they were all showing signs of tiredness, with several blaster scorches each. They had all been lucky enough to avoid serious injury, but they knew they only had so long before probability beat skill.

"I don't know any better than you do," Slippy replied, knocking a sniper off of a roof. "We've gotten quite a ways into the city, we can't be too far from the transport…"

"Okay, it looks like they're slowing down… Amanda! Let's go!"

"On my way!" answered Slippy's wife, jumping down and running to the other three, already moving further into the maze of symmetrical grey cubes.

"Woah…"

"That's a problem…"

Around the next bend, they had encountered an electrified fence at least twelve feet tall encircling their target. Even as they tried in vain to shoot through it, they were surrounded by Doppelgangers running from the buildings on their sides, some in small tanks. As they converged, Slippy threw a grenade into their midst, reducing their problem momentarily, but more soon came. The four of them ran and sheltered behind a ruined barrier, but couldn't hold off the wave of Doppelgangers: they were fearless.

"How on earth do we get out of this?" asked Amanda. "We can probably take out twenty of them, fifty if we're lucky, but there's hundreds of them! They just never end!"

"Just… keep… firing!" replied Slippy.

"This is really bad," muttered Katt, dodging five shots at once. "This is really – Ah!"

"You okay back there?" asked Falco, glancing back.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, but only if we can get out of here, fast."

"Hey guys?" said Slippy tentatively, "Problem solved."

They looked over to see him standing by a building with a large door open facing them, and smiled.

* * *

Slippy drove the tank out of the building, having almost instantly understood the controls. "This is amazing!" he shouted to the others. "As far as I can tell, it's just like the old Landmasters, but with better firepower!"

"Good! Use it!" Katt yelled back.

The tank blasted through the Doppelganger lines, barely getting hit. Within a few seconds he had cleared out enough that they could safely emerge from behind their makeshift shelter. He then angled the massive barrel towards the electric fence and opened fire.

The blast completely demolished the barrier, sending shock waves through the ground and leaving only a smoking pile of rubble in its place. Slippy checked the ammunition gauge, however, and found that he only had four more such shots to use. Gesturing for the others to follow, he drove through the gap and started towards the transport. They ran after him, shooting behind them while the massive tank brought down any patrols or guards they found.

As they neared the giant ship, however, it flashed a red light and alarm sirens blared. A swarm of doppelgangers charged at them from all sides, some armed with blasters, some with turrets that required multiple people to operate, some unarmed but simply morphing their right arms into blades in unison before attacking. Recognizing their only option, Falco, Katt, and Amanda ran onto the transport and started to close the mammoth doors.

Slippy, knowing he only had a few seconds before he had to join them, quickly loosed his remaining four missiles at the front engines of the giant ship, leapt out of the tank, and barely made it through the rapidly dwindling gap between the doors before they slammed shut.

Then the ship took off.

"Wha – What's happening?" cried Amanda.

"They know we're on the ship; they trapped us! There's no way we can stop them now!" realized Katt.

"The ship is probably computer guided," said R.O.B., "So unless we can somehow get outside the ship and… what, Falco?"

"Everyone grab a weapon and let's go. We _can_ get outside."

* * *

Falco smashed through the door to the hangar, loosing a few shots at the fleeing guards. Katt covered their advance with a strange arc laser, which seemed to have warmed up and was now firing unbelievably quickly, slicking through solid metal. Slippy and Amanda ran forward, finding and triggering the level that opened the bay doors, and they reconvened, jumping into the arwing-like ships they had seen earlier. The ships immediately changed from their uniform, all-white shapes to different ships, similar to the ones they were accustomed to piloting. Slippy whistled from inside a rough imitation of the _Bullfrog_.

"Bet _that_ took a while to make."

"Whatever, let's go!" shouted Falco.

They rose up, in unison, and flew out the pod bay doors. Looking back, Amanda saw more ships coming.

"Looks like we've got company, Falco."

"Dang! When are our jobs ever easy?"

"Or our life, for that matter," whined Slippy.

Katt growled softly. "Bring 'em on."

Every time they shot down one ship, however, there was another coming to take its place. For the most part, they could focus on evading the shots directed at them and fighting the other pilots, but they couldn't completely ignore the transport. Slippy's sabotage had definitely slowed it, but it was still moving.

"I think that might be the last of them," said Slippy eventually. Either they've ran out of ships or they've ran out of pilots. I guess all we need to do now is – yikes!"

Guns had emerged on all sides of the transport and had started firing on the fighters.

"Look out!" yelled Falco. "Slippy, Amanda, you two take the ones on the left. Katt let's get the ones on the right. Meet up here."

"You got it, boss," said Amanda, chuckling and making Falco and Katt go red.

"This isn't the time for that," said Falco curtly, severing the radio connection as he flew into battle again.

* * *

BAEOWULF: I edited the nightmare scene. Hope you like!


	9. Hero

YES! This is Baeowuld speaking. Once again, I have (or had) control of the story again! I think this is the longest chapter yet, a lot of stuff happens! Wow, 9,702 words... long chapter! Anyways, the next chapter will be written by my co-author, so I apologize in advance for the three week delay in updates (I wonder if he'll comment on this when he updates...). For now, I hope you enjoy!

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

* * *

Psion paced back and forth aboard the _Prenuntius_, rubbing his temples. He couldn't believe what was happening; his tracer had been removed?! This was bad, he thought. Suddenly, he heard the communications system start to beep. He slammed his fist down on the answer call button, cracking the metal panel as he did. _"WHAT IS IT NOW?!"_ he screamed into the intercom, wondering what else could have gone wrong. An image of a calm Shi'Krii commander appeared on the screen, and Psion calmed down a little; it was Darus, one of his most loyal soldiers, and Supreme Commander of the _Prenuntius_. Aboard this ship, the only people with more power than Darus were Psion, and of course, the Queen. _"Darus, I expect you have news? I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't contact me just to make small talk."_ Darus straightened its posture, perfectly aligning and reshaping each of its vertebrae so as to transform his body into a practical rod.

"_Sir. Intruders have boarded the _Prenuntius_ and have commandeered some of our fighter craft. The intruders were a group of four Lylatians, a male and female amphibian, a male avian, and a female feline. When they stole our craft, the ships assumed the forms of those that were shot down in a previous aerial battle. I believe the classifications were _Bullfrog_, _Tadpole_, _Cat's Paw MK II_, and _Skyclaw_. The intruders have exited the docking bay and are beginning to open fire on the _Prenuntius_. Preparing to engage with your permission, Sir."_ Darus finished its report, its face hard as steel, its eyes clean, black ovals. A single, bony pauldron adorned its left shoulder; the only signifier of its rank. Psion smiled; Darus was curt, obedient, calm, and precise. In other words, Darus was a perfect soldier. Willing to fight, and more importantly, willing to sacrifice anything in accordance with orders. Psion's grin grew: Darus was a perfect tool: a powerful weapon to be used… and discarded. Psion straightened from his crouch, and faced Darus, a slight gleam of malicious glee in his eyes.

"_Darus… Attack in full. Hold _nothing _back. Do I make myself clear?"_ For just a moment, Darus hesitated. Then the look of doubt vanished from its eyes, leaving its face a blank slate.

"_Yes Sir."_

* * *

Falco banked hard to the right, barely avoiding a pulse from the tremendous ship's cannons. He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened as he saw the destruction the beam had caused. A neat, ten foot radius hole was drilled into a number of buildings behind his ship, forming a perfectly straight, disconnected tunnel that ended in an immense crater in the planet's surface. For the first time, Falco noticed the reddish black storm clouds that covered the sky, purple flashes of lightning lancing between them, or the shattered jungles sprawling across the landscape, or the desolate wastelands ringing the mountains in the distance. He smirked; it was amazing how a near death experience heightened one's senses. Falco swerved in between searing bolts of plasma as swarms of fighters poured out of the enemy mothership, leaving huge white spots in the sky where they grouped. Almost unconsciously, he charged into the hordes of white. He acted on instinct, weaving in between enemy craft like a spider in its web, gracefully dancing through their number, weaving his web of death. He swerved up, cutting a path in the ships before him, watching as the pieces of their white hulls drifted to the ground below. Time seemed to slow down for Falco, and the world was crystal clear. He could see every bolt heading towards his ship, could see the tiny pieces of the enemies he had destroyed drifting to the ground like snow, sparkling in the light of the day. Everything was perfectly in place: even as enemy ships burst before him, the explosions seemed as though they were part of a painting, everything acting in perfect harmony with everything else. His eyes widened at the sight; it was beautiful. The world sped up again, and Falco was snapped violently back into the present. He swerved to the left, barely avoiding a long burst of plasma fire. He felt a bolt rock his ship, and looked behind: there was a ship on his tail. He tried to shake the bogey, but he just couldn't seem to manage it. Falco charged toward another enemy, drawing its attention. The two ships flew at each other, barely dodging laser fire from each other, until at the last second, Falco pulled sharply up. The two enemy ships smashed into each other, sending a spray of white fragments drifting towards the planet. Falco smiled; this was what he lived for. The adrenaline, the test of skill between pilots, the ultimate stakes of life and death, these were what gave his life meaning. He cleared the top of the crowd, and plummeted back into the enemy swarms, dancing his way through them like an angel of death.

* * *

Fox rubbed his temples, groaning: it felt like Slippy had taken a wrench to his skull then drilled a bolt into it. He sat up, and realized that his surroundings had changed. He was lying in bed, white sheets draped over him, and he could feel the soothing vibrations of the Ensthiasmus. Fox smiled to himself; he must have fallen unconscious while Krystal was messing around in his head. Krystal… Fox's eyes widened. Where was she? Before she had delved into his mind, she was talking about how this would be dangerous, and should only be attempted by someone with years of experience. What if… no, it couldn't be. Fox jumped out of bed, not even taking the time to pull on a shirt, and stormed out of the room. "Krystal! Krystal!" he called as he sprinted down the halls of the Ensthiasmus, drawing strange looks from medics and scientists he passed. He didn't notice; his mind was on one thing and one thing only: the safety of his beloved. "Krystal! Where are yo-" Fox's sentence ended as he slammed into a suddenly formed wall of the _Ensthiasmus_, a wall that he was sure wasn't there before. He slid to the ground, rubbing his head groggily, and watched in amazement as the barrier slid back into the wall of the corridor. Suddenly, he felt something in his head. There was something else there, something warm and soothing, yet powerful.

"_Do not worry; your mate is safe." _Fox turned around, searching for who was speaking to him.

"Who are you? Show yourself! Where's Krystal?" he demanded, whirling around, searching in vain for this odd voice.

"_Relax, little one," _the voice said, and its mere tone seemed to calm Fox, soothing him into a sense of security. _"I am Ensthiasmus. I shall reveal all to you in time."_ Fox's eyes widened; the voice was the _Ensthiasmus_?

"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled. "Are you the pilot?" He heard a chuckle, and could have sworn that it sounded like the laughter of whales playing in the ocean.

"_There is no pilot; I am Ensthiasmus, child of Savant. He created me, he is my father, and I obey his commands. Do not worry, little one. Your mate is safe. If you will follow me, I will show you the way to where she slumbers."_ Before Fox could ask what the voice meant, a trail of soft lights appeared on the ground in front of him. Fox smirked; the line was two wide: one line of orange, and another of blue. Without hesitation, Fox followed the lights, making his way to his beloved.

* * *

Krystal opened her eyes slowly, squinting in the sunlight. She lay on a grassy Cerinian hillside; small clouds puffed their way slowly past in the sky, and tiny drops of dew crowned each blade of grass. She stood, rubbing her head, and feeling slightly sore in her limbs. She shuddered, remembering the nightmares she had had to face in Fox's mind, but the fear from that moment was washed away in the warm sunlight. She heard a footstep in the grass behind her, and she jumped to her feet, turning around. As she did, she relaxed: it was her mother, a gentle smile spread across her face. "So, I guess it's time you heard about Fox, then," Krystal said sheepishly, taking a seat on the hillside, her mother sitting beside her. Her mother turned to face her, grinning widely.

"Darling, I want to hear every detail!" she said excitedly. "Tell me everything, and I mean from the beginning." Krystal rolled her eyes, exhaling a bit as she smiled.

"Well, then I'd suggest you get comfortable, because I've got a long story to tell." Krystal closed her eyes, remembering back to when she had first arrived on Sauria all those years ago. "After Cerinia was destroyed, I took a shuttle through the stars, searching for answers. Eventually, I detected a distress signal and followed it to a planet called Sauria, and I could feel that I was drawing close. I landed on the planet, and was surprised when I found that the world was dominated by tribes of intelligent dinosaurs, but what surprised me more was that there were Cerinian relics there that could enhance my staff, and plants that bore a crystalline fruit that could recharge the energy in it. Anyways, with the help of a tribe called the CloudRunner, I set out to investigate. With their help, I found the flagship of the planet's tyrant-lord General Scales. As I was trying to board it, my staff was shot out of my hand. I managed to board the ship, but was caught and thrown overboard by the General himself. Fortunately, my CloudRunner companion caught me in time. We followed the distress signal to the mountaintop Krazoa Palace, a home of ancient peace spirits. Once inside, I found a number of wounded EarthWalker soldiers. They told me that Scales was trying to steal the Krazoa spirits to use in his conquest. I was able to recover one, but was then trapped inside," Krystal laughed remembering the irony of the situation, "a crystal by the very person responsible for the destruction of Cerinia. Some time later, Fox arrived at the Krazoa Palace. He was rather cute, and seemed rather fascinated with my, ah… clothing." Krystal blushed, and her mother laughed.

"What were you wearing, sweetie?" she asked, and Krystal blushed even more.

"My graduation outfit," she mumbled, and her mother burst out laughing.

"Really? Wait, let me get this straight: the first time he saw you, he saw you wearing that?" Krystal's mother laughed heartily, small tears budding at the edges of her eyes. "Yes, honey, I'm sure he was staring at your 'clothing'." Krystal rolled her eyes.

"Mother," she said, annoyed, "I'm trying to tell a story!" Krystal's mother wiped her eyes, and gestured for Krystal to continue her story, although Krystal could have sworn she heard her say "I guess all males are the same".

"Anyways, eventually, Fox returned all of the Krazoa spirits. That should have freed me, but my captor had other plans." Krystal took a few deep breaths to steady herself. "He used me to channel the Krazoa spirits for his resurrection. He destroyed Cerinia to get me in a position where he could use me to bring himself back to life. After he got what he wanted… he dropped me. I was above an at least a hundred foot drop; I would have died. But Fox… Fox saved me. He had found my staff, and he held it out for me to grab hold of. He saved me. I was, uhm, a little rude after that. I took my staff from him, and tried to use it to shoot the resurrected man who had destroyed Cerinia, a man I later came to know was called Andross. I suppose I was a bit foolish; he was a giant, flying, stone head." Krystal's mother stared at her like she had a frog on her head. "Look, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true, okay?" Krystal's mother shrugged. "Anyways, after Fox defeated, and destroyed, Andross, I decided to thank him. I took my shuttle up to his ship, and boarded it, transmitting a message with just the right timing for me to finish it as I stepped onto the bridge. Obviously, Fox was surprised to see me again. It was quite funny, really. He couldn't form a complete sentence! To make it better, the ship's navigational robot, ROB, decided to state that Fox's temperature was rising. That got some laughs from everybody!" Krystal chuckled, remembering her first day aboard the GreatFox. "It was all uphill from then, at least until the next war. Fox inducted me into the team, and Fox and I had 'unofficially' started dating," Krystal put air-quotes on the word "unofficially". "Right in the middle of what seemed to be a perfect day, we got a call. Andrew Oikonny, the nephew of Andross, had gathered the remnants of Andross' army and was waging war against Lylat; like his uncle, only less successful and less intelligently. The war against him was only a short battle, really. At the end, he seemed to be almost a threat, but then an Aparoid finished him off." As Krystal said this, she muttered "if only permanently" under her breath, earning a punch to the shoulder from her mother.

"Young lady, it is not becoming of you to desire the deaths of others," she said sternly, her eyes cross. Krystal decided not to tell her mother what exactly her occupation entailed.

"Anyways," Krystal said, changing the subject. "The Aparoids were attempting to conquer the Lylat system, and Team StarFox was the only thing standing their way. They attacked every planet, including Sauria. Fox and I had a romantic foot mission together there," Krystal sighed, remembering the sunset and how they had come close to a kiss before being interrupted by Tricky. "Eventually, the Aparoids were wiped out. Turns out that the entire species was just an extension of the Queen. After the Aparoid wars, Fox and I started dating seriously. We went to parks, restaurants, all the things young couples like us do, in addition to running a few missions here and there. We were happy." Krystal choked back tears at the memory of what happened next. "But it wasn't to last. Fearing for my safety, Fox asked me to leave the team. He told me that he'd seen me brush death too many times, that he couldn't stand to lose me. He told me he'd provide everything I needed until things calmed down a bit. I told him that I wasn't going to leave the team, that I was going to stay with him." Krystal stopped, bracing herself for what she was going to say next. "Then it happened. Fox told me that I didn't have a choice in the matter. He expelled me from the team. I was crushed. I left in tears, and didn't see him for a good while. I even joined StarFox's rival team StarWolf to spite him, and started dating Panther Caroso, Wolf's arrogant new pilot. He was trying to protect me… and I betrayed him." Tears budded in Krystal's eyes, and she started crying softly. Her mother scooted over to her, wrapping her in a warm hug.

"It's alright, shhh," Krystal's mother whispered soothingly into her daughter's ear, gently rocking her back and forth. "Maybe we should finish the story another time?"

"No, no, it's alright." Krystal straightened her posture, and continued her tale. "I saw Fox again during the Anglar Wars. He desperately apologized to me, saying that he was wrong in what he did, that he only wanted me back. At first, I didn't believe him, but then I realized that he was telling the truth. When I learned of Wolf's plot to betray Fox to further his own personal glory, I left StarWolf and joined up with Fox and his team again. We successfully destroyed the Anglar King, and after that, Fox and I were going strong. A few months later… he proposed. I accepted, and after a few, quick, _wonderful_ months we were married. After that… well, everything was flowers and sunsets until the Doppelgangers attacked." Krystal's mother smiled as Krystal finished her story, patting her daughter on the shoulder.

"Krystal," she said, her voice warm and comforting, "I'm happy for you. I can see you and Fox having a wonderful future together." Krystal's mother shifted onto her knees, staring her daughter in the eyes excitedly. "So!" she said, beginning to scare Krystal. "When can I expect grandchildren?" Krystal's eyes widened, and she fell onto her back in the grass.

"Mother!" she cried, shocked at the question. Krystal's mother laughed, her voice soft and melodious.

"Alright, I get it," she said, wiping a tear from her eye, suppressing laughter. Suddenly she straightened, her ears perked up above her head. She turned to Krystal, and smiled. "It's time for you to go now, honey."

"What?! Why?" Krystal asked, confused, as the ground started to dissolve beneath her feet. As she fell, her mother looked down at her.

"Because someone's waiting for you." That was all Krystal heard before she was swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

Katt zoomed after Falco, cursing his blatant aggression. _"Why do I have to have the most blockheaded bird in Lylat for a boyfriend?!" _she cursed to herself. Katt frowned sadly, remembering that she and Falco weren't technically dating yet. She scowled, shutting out her other emotions; if she didn't help Falco now, they wouldn't get the chance. Katt barreled into the enemy forces, deftly dodging the laser fire that careened around her ship. She turned a sharp right, barely dodging a blast from one of the enemy mothership's main cannons. Katt barely noticed; instincts fueled her now. She charged the enemy ships, smashing into their number with a barrage of plasma. The Cat's Paw darted furiously in the crowd, leaping from target to target as she obliterated the enemy ships. She saw something out of the corner of her eye, more sensing it than seeing it, and banked up hard. A tremendous beam of plasma scorched the air directly behind her ship, cutting a clean hole in a number of enemy ships. She barely saw it; her world was a hurtling vortex of fire and enemies. All she saw was her prey. She chased the fleshy white ships one by one, obliterating them by the dozens. Ships around her plummeted towards the ground left and right, smashing into the rocks in purple bursts of electricity and plasma. Suddenly, she saw the SkyClaw flying towards her. Her eyes brightened; Falco! She tried to open a communications channel, but the oncoming ship wouldn't respond. "What are you doing, Falco?" she muttered to herself, frowning slightly. The ship continued towards her, not stopping. Katt's eyes widened as the ship's lasers began to charge. She barely managed to veer out of the way as it opened fire, her ship's wing being grazed by the bolts of plasma. "FALCO!" she cried into her comm, her eyes wide in fear. "What are you doing?" This time, she got a response.

"I was about to ask you the same question!" he cried. "Why are you attacking me?" Katt began to pant, her heart pounding in her breast.

"What do you mean? You're the one attack-" suddenly, it hit her. The enemy ships were just like their pilots: shapeshifters. "Falco!" she yelled into her comm, desperately trying to get his attention. "That's not me! The enemy ships shapeshift! Shoot it down!" She cut the comlink, turning her attention back to the fight at hand. She stared down her enemy, and fired. The false SkyClaw zipped out of the way, and the two ships began to chase each other, twirling around one another in a dance of death. They fired time after time, neither hitting the other. Suddenly, the false SkyClaw did a loop and wound up behind her. It fired three shots, each shot hitting Katt's ship in the rear engine. The Cat's Paw shook with the impacts, and Katt cursed under her breath. She hammered her brakes, coming to an abrupt stop. The enemy SkyClaw zoomed in front of her, unable to stop in time. Katt snarled, and fired, one two three times. The shots impacted with the back of the enemy ship, and plasma began to leak out of its hull: one more shot, and it would be history. The ship turned around, and Katt was about to fire. Suddenly, she took her hand off the trigger. She could see the ship's pilot through the windshield… it was Falco. Bolts of plasma rocked her ship, and tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She fired. The plasma bolts sped towards the enemy ship, and just before they impacted, she saw the pilot return to its original form. The imposter ship burst into a cloud of electricity and plasma. Katt sobbed bitterly, tears in her eyes, scared as the adrenaline rush left her system. Battle turned her into something she wasn't; a creature of rage and hate. She scared herself in combat, but she had to fight. If she didn't she could lose everything.

* * *

Fox sat by Krystal's bedside, holding her paw in his. She looked so peaceful as she slept. Her beautiful, purple hair fell across her face, and her chest rose and fell with her breathing. Fox smiled, glad to see her in a state of relative good health. She stirred, and Fox's smile widened. Her eyes opened slowly, her beautiful, green eyes. "Fox?" she said softly, her strong accent sending shivers down his spine.

"Yeah, Krys," he said softly, tears budding in his eyes. "That's me." Krystal laughed.

"Well, this is new. Seems like forever since I've talked to you without one of us having a near death experience." Fox chuckled, his deep laugh rumbling in his chest.

"You know, I like it this way a little more." He gazed into her eyes, and slowly, the two moved their heads forward, until eventually they were locked in a deep kiss. They poured all their emotions into the action, releasing what seemed like a lifetime of worry, stress, fear, and most importantly, love into a single, sensational kiss. The action embodied their undying love for each other, and it was incredible. They were about to move in to another kiss when they heard a voice.

"Are you two done yet?" Fox and Krystal turned, blushing furiously. Savant was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, tapping his foot. Fox and Krystal pulled apart, embarrassed. Krystal slid out from under the covers, taking a seat in Fox's lap. Savant rolled his head on his neck in annoyance. "Alright, listen up. I have some good news, and some bad news." Fox and Krystal looked uneasy. IN the end, it was Krystal who spoke up.

"What's the good news?"

"The good news is we found your friends." Fox and Krystal's ears perked up; Savant had found the rest of the team! "The bad news is, they're engaged in aerial combat with the _Prenuntius_." Fox broke in, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Wait – What's the _Prenuntius_? Is it a ship?" Savant nodded.

"A mothership, to be precise. An immense invasion transport." Fox exhaled, relieved.

"In that case, I wouldn't be worried. The team's taken on motherships before." Savant shook his head grimly.

"Not like this. Tell me; what would you classify the _Ensthiasmus_ as?" Fox thought for a moment.

"A mothership, probably around Dreadnought class." Savant shook his head, sighing.

"The _Ensthiasmus_ is a flagship, Fox, not a mothership. The Prenuntius' docking bays alone could hold ten – nay, twenty vessels of this size." Fox's eyes widened; how could a ship be so massive?! He knew that a ship that large would have to have extensive crew quarters and engineering rooms: it must be the size of a small city! Krystal shifted, uneasy with the sound of the _Prenuntius_. Fox's eyes narrowed, and he and Krystal stood.

"Where are our ships?" he asked, his eyes grim. Savant shook his head.

"I don't think you understand, Fox. The _Prenuntius_ –" Fox cut him off.

"No, Savant I don't think _you _understand. Where… are… our… ships?"

* * *

Katt and Falco wheeled around each other midair, desperately trying to hold the swarms of enemies at bay. "There's just too many of them!" Falco yelled through his com, barely dodging a wall of fire as the enemy mothership poured out fighters. Falco blasted a Cat's Paw Mk II out of the sky, watching it plummet satisfyingly to the rocks below. "I am SO glad these ships have recognition tracing," he muttered under his breath. He and Katt had calibrated their radar systems to register each other in green while registering other contacts in grey, and it was _extremely_ useful when fighting swarms of ships that looked like your wingmate. Falco was beginning to be able to pick out the differences in the enemy craft; no one knew the Cat's Paw like Katt did. The enemy ships were all slightly different from how the original had looked, while Katt's was an exact copy. Suddenly, Falco heard a scream through his intercom.

"FALCO!" screamed Katt on the comm screen. Her eyes were wide, and beads of sweat ran down her face: she was scared. "Falco, I've got a group on my tail! I can't shake 'em!" Falco's blood went cold in his veins. He wheeled his ship around in the direction of Katt on his radar, and soon he saw her. Smoke poured from her ship in black waves, and plasma leaked from its hull like purple blood. A group of enemy ships he had never seen before was chasing her. They were in the form of a ball with three arms situated around it. The arms rotated as the ships fired, and each time one made a revolution, it discharged a bolt of green energy. The ships opened fire, and the arms spun wildly about the bodies, rotating in a blur of motion like a Gatling gun. Katt was doing all she could to dodge the bolts, but even so, she was hit a few times. With a loud crash, one of her engines burst, pieces of hull flying from it, electricity arcing and plasma pouring from the jagged hole. "FALCO! HELP!" Sweat beaded on Falco's forehead, and his face turned to a mask of steely determination: he would _not_ lose Katt to this scum! With a primal yell, he opened fire, bolts of plasma spewing from his ship's guns. The bolts flew into the enemy ships with deadly accuracy, drilling gaping holes into their fuselages. Falco sped towards them, and just before he would have crashed into the last one left, it burst in a cloud of green and blue plasma, white pieces of hull falling around the massive ball of energy like confetti. Falco sped through the explosion, piercing the radiating ball and emerging on the other end.

"KATT!" he cried frantically, searching the skies for her. "Are you alright?!" He searched the skies frantically, calling out her name, but she was nowhere to be found. Katt was missing. Falco snapped. His eyes flew wide in anger, tears of rage spilling down his face. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" he screamed at the enemy ships, tearing into them like a wolf in a shepherd's flock. Ships all around him were blown to pieces, until eventually, there was nothing left nearby to destroy. Falco sank into his hands, clutching his forehead in his hands, crying bitterly. She was gone. He was too much of a coward to tell her how he really felt, and now she was gone. "WHY?!" he screamed, his face wet with tears. "WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY?! Why? Why…" Falco sniffed, and buried his emotions. There would be time to mourn for Katt later. For now, he had people to kill.

* * *

Katt watched in amazement as Falco blasted his way through the enemy craft tailing her, astonished at the sheer ferocity of his attack. Suddenly, she felt a huge crash in the front of her ship. She looked forward… and saw in immense metal claw protruding from her ship's wing. She tried to call out to Falco for help, but her communications were jammed. She tried desperately to escape the claw, but to no avail. Eventually, she was dragged into the Doppelganger mothership. As soon as solid ground appeared beneath her feet, Katt leaped out of her cockpit, drawing a small blaster from a holster on her belt. She hit the ground in a roll, firing shots into Doppelganger soldiers even as she landed. She fought furiously as the enemies closed in on her, eventually resorting to kicks and clawing as the soldiers closed in on her. Grey flesh dissolved into putty under her hands and boots, spraying over her body, coating her in the grey muck. She fought like a dervish, whirling and clawing, each of her fingers a blade in its own right. Suddenly, she felt a tingling in her back. She turned around, and her vision began to spin. The last thing she saw was a tall Doppelganger with some kind of armor on its left shoulder striding militarily towards her through the crowd, a smoking pistol at its side, and the soldiers falling into salute as it passed. Then she passed out.

Fox and Krystal piloted their ships into the crowd of enemies, firing as they came. "Look! There's Falco!" Krystal exclaimed through the communications channel. Fox turned his head, and saw the SkyClaw tearing its way through dozens of enemy craft, shredding them before its laser fire. Fox opened communications with him.

"Falco!" he yelled, confused. "Where are the others?!"

"Slippy and Amanda are off fighting somewhere else," Falco replied, concentrating on his work. "Katt…" tears came to Falco's eyes, and a single drop of water spilled down his cheek. "They got her. Katt's gone. She's gone… and I never got a chance to tell her how I felt." Krystal gasped, and Fox's eyes widened. This fight had claimed one of his team. He could only wonder: how many more friends would die before this war was over?

* * *

Katt woke up, her head throbbing. She tried to rub her head, but found that she couldn't. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw that she was secured to a padded swivel chair: comfortable, but immobile. Her arms were strapped to the armrests with steel cable, and her ankles were tied to the chair's base. She looked around, frantically searching for other signs of life, but found none. She turned the chair around… and saw the back of the armored Doppelganger. "You!" she cried in anger, spitting as she said the word. "Where am I?" The Doppelganger remained motionless.

"_Tell me, what do you think of war?"_ Katt stopped, stunned at the question. She knew Doppelgangers were intelligent creatures, but she had assumed that they were all evil and bloodthirsty. _"Well? Are you going to answer my question or not?"_ The Doppelganger paused, and sighed. _"I guess not. I suppose I'm not surprised; you just slaughtered hundreds of my brethren and are now in my captivity. I guess you must assume that I'm going to kill you."_ Katt scoffed at the strange alien's comment, blowing her hair out of her face. _"I will tell you now that I am not angry with you."_ Katt was genuinely surprised now: this alien was acting completely differently from any other she had ever encountered. _"I am Darus, High Commander of the _Prenuntius_. Aboard my ship, I answer only to High General, Prince Psion, and her majesty the Queen."_

"Wait – you have names?" Katt asked, bewildered. The Doppelganger's all looked the same; what use were names? The alien sighed, moving towards a window and placing its three fingered hand against the glass, staring out into the hangar.

"_You are so naïve. You believe that there is a stark definition between good and evil, right and wrong. Yes we have names. Our parent names us, much like your parents named you, when we are born. Our parent raises us, serving as caretaker and mentor in one. Our parent teaches us of the Queen, mother of us all, and of the Mind, the connection that links all of us together as siblings. Each and every one of us is different, much like you Lylatians, and though you may be unable to tell us apart, we can all see the distinct differences in our natural forms. I suppose it only makes sense that you cannot tell us apart; when I first saw a Lylatian, I could not tell one from another, and the odd thing you call gender further confused me into believing that I was looking at two separate species."_ The Doppelganger paused, and turned to face Katt. When she saw its eyes, she was shocked. There was no anger there: this one was perfectly calm. It almost looked sad. _"I will tell you what I think about war. I take no pleasure in ending lives. I take no special joy in killing, I have no thirst for the death of others. I fight for honor, and to test my skill. I fight to engage my foes in combat so that by the end of the day, one of us falls. I fight for honor, and most importantly, I follow the orders of my superiors."_ The alien stopped, seeming unsure of what to say next. Darus turned around, and Katt could see in the reflection on the glass that it was trying to make up its mind. _"You are Katt Monroe, yes?"_ Katt nodded in astonishment; how had it – no, Darus known her name? _"I am sorry. I do not agree with using you as bait. This is dishonorable combat, and it violates my every principle. I am merely acting on Psion's orders."_ Katt's eyes widened; this was her chance!

"Then why do it?" she said, her voice rising. "If it goes against everything you believe in, why do you do it?" Darus whirled around, its three pronged feet digging into the floor, and Katt flattened herself into the back of her chair, Darus' face a half inch from hers.

"_I do it because I am ordered to do so! Let me explain something to you, Katt. Here, we do not act based on personal desires, personal principles. We act in accordance with what the Queen deems is best for us as a whole. Now, she has deemed that the path of Psion is the best road for us to take. Here, we follow the orders of our superiors. We know no other way."_ Katt's eyes widened.

"So, then, you're the perfect tool for Psion, then," she said, realizing the reality of things. "You do know that you're just a tool to Psion? That he's just going to discard you once you outlive your usefulness?" Darus turned around, and crossed its arms behind its back.

"_I know this. I know that Psion does not truly care for any of those under his command. However, what Psion commands is what is best for us all; this is what the Queen has decreed. If I must die for the betterment of our race… then so be it."_ As Darus began to walk to the door, Katt asked one last question.

"Darus, why are you telling me this? Couldn't this get you in trouble?" Darus stopped, its hand in the doorway.

"_I am touched by your concern, Katt Monroe. I am telling you this because I want you to understand who I am, and because it does not matter: by the end of the day, I may be just another 'was'. I assure you this Katt Monroe: by no will of my own, I, you, or both of us, will die. There are three possible outcomes to today: one: your friends destroy me in aerial combat, and find a way of rescuing you from the wreckage of my personal fighter. Two: your friends destroy me, and we die together. Three: I destroy your friends, and Psion has you executed."_ Darus paused, thinking. _"Goodbye, Katt Monroe. I hope you do not misjudge me."_ With that, Darus walked out of the room, leaving Katt to think over everything she had just heard.

* * *

Fox, Falco, and Krystal blasted their way through Doppelganger ships, shredding enemies with every shot. "Look! Over there!" cried Krystal, pointing and flying off in a direction. Falco and Fox followed, and saw Slippy and Amanda dueling groups of enemy fighters. "Slippy! Amanda!" Krystal yelled into her intercom, hailing them on communications. "That you?" Almost immediately, Slippy's and Amanda's faces appeared on her viewscreen.

"Krystal!" Slippy shouted excitedly, his large eyes wide. "Long time no see!" Slippy and Amanda broke out of the enemy group, and joined the rest of their team. "Wait," said Slippy, confused. "Where's Katt?" Falco interrupted on his comm. system.

"She's gone, Slippy. They… they got her," he said, mixed emotions of rage and grief tinting his normally steely voice.

"Oh, Falco…" whispered Amanda, "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well you didn't kill her, so don't be!" Falco snapped. He sighed, regretting his outburst. "I – I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just, she was under attack, and I wasn't fast enough to save her. I felt for her, I cared for her… and in the end, I failed her." Fox sighed, wondering what could have been between Katt and Falco.

"Falco," he said, "Katt's gone, and there is nothing you can do to bring her back. However, you can make sure she didn't die in vain." Fox's eyes went steely. _"This is for you, Katt," _he thought. "Team StarFox! Battle formations! Attack the engines of enemy vessel! Hold nothing back! StarFox… move out!" Almost immediately, the team sped into action, each member splitting off to handle a different engine. They attacked with ruthless efficiency. Bolt after bolt slammed into the engines, burning holes in their casing. The _Prenuntius _fired back with its weaponry, but at this close of a range all its super-cannons did was wipe out the fleets defending it. One after another the engines began to burst. The _Prenuntius_ was on the road to destruction.

* * *

Psion slammed his fist down on the control panel, splintering it into long fractures. _"Why can't anything go MY WAY!"_ Psion stood, and hurled a fireball at the door melting it into slag.

"_Sir."_ Psion's eyes widened, and he turned around. Darus was standing in the doorway, arms crossed behind his back militarily.

"_You may enter Darus. Is the prisoner ready?"_

"_Yes sir."_

"_Good." _Psion sighed, things were not going according to plan. No matter; this was only a minor setback. _"Purge all unnecessary segments of the _Prenuntius._"_

"_Sir?"_

"_Darus, I command and authorize you to purge all hangars and crew quarters of the _Prenuntius _outside of the Core. After doing so, you will take the prisoner in your personal craft and confront the attackers while the Core escapes. Am I understood?"_ Darus hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"_Yes sir."_ With a quick bow, Darus turned and walked out of the room, leaving Psion to his thoughts.

* * *

Falco wheeled his ship under the final engine, firing ruthlessly at oncoming ships. The bolts flew forward with deadly accuracy, each one drilling a clean hole in an enemy ship's cockpit. He swooped down low, and pulled up sharply, heading straight for the engine. "This is for Katt," he muttered under his breath, his eyes steely. Falco opened fire, pouring plasma into the engine. He fired relentlessly, ignoring the enemies around him. All he saw was his target. He fired a bomb… and the engine burst. Plasma spewed from the wound like pressurized fluid, and the engine exploded in a glorious cloud of reds, green, purples, and blues. Falco banked sharply so as not to crash into the bottom of the enemy mothership. He slowed his ship, watching the _Prenuntius_ begin its journey towards the rocks below. "She's really gone," he whispered, and a single tear fell from the corner of his eye. Falco regrouped with the rest of the team, sadly flying towards them. Fox appeared on his viewscreen.

"You ok, buddy?" he said, concerned for his friend.

"I just can't believe… I just can't believe she's gone," Falco said, his eyes wide. Suddenly, the _Prenuntius_ started to shake violently. The outer layers of the ship burst off, falling towards the rocky ground, while a spherical ship started to zoom out of the atmosphere. One of the hangar doors on a falling segment slid open, and an immense fighter zoomed out. It was about the size of Pepper's flagship, and was sleek and deadly. It had a pointed nose, with four sharp wings arcing gracefully behind it in a large X. Its nose bore a single cannon underneath the tip, and each wing held a plasma cannon. It had four long engines in between its wings, each trailing blue energy.

"There's something… off about this one," said Krystal, rubbing her temples. "I can't find any anger or aggression… and I get the strangest feeling that this vessel holds more than one." In each member's ship, the com signal began to flash.

"It's hailing us," said Fox, surprised. "Let's see what he wants," Fox said through his intercom, and in unison, each member of Team StarFox answered the call. An image of a Doppelganger appeared on their viewscreens. The image showed it from the waist up, and on its left shoulder, it wore a bony pauldron. The alien's eyes were perfectly calm, and almost sad. It was standing in a large room, and behind it, were numerous control panels; it was obvious that in other circumstances, this ship could support a number of crew members.

"_Team StarFox,"_ said the alien, staring straight at them through the viewscreen. _"Or, to be precise, Fox and Krystal McCloud, Slippy and Amanda Toad, and Falco Lombardi. I am honored to make your acquaintance."_ The StarFox team looked at each other uneasily through their windshields, not knowing how to respond to the strange alien before them. The alien paused for a moment, then continued. _"I am Darus, High Commander of the _Prenuntius_. That is the ship you now see leaving."_

"Why did you contact us?" asked Fox, puzzled. Darus seemed to sigh, its shoulders sagging.

"_You are just like I expected, Fox. Strong, loyal, and to the point. I only wish we could have met as friends. I contacted you because I am not a heartless killer, and I at least want to see the faces of those who I either will kill or will be killed by today."_ Darus paused, shifting uneasily. _"I want you to know that what I show you now is not by my choice. I fight honorably, and this is just vile. Know that I only act as I am ordered to."_

"What do you – " Falco started to ask, but stopped as Darus stepped aside. Katt was there, slumped over unconscious, tied to a swivel chair. Her chest rose and fell softly as she breathed, and she looked unharmed. "She's not dead," whispered Falco in disbelief, not knowing whether he wanted to thank or throttle Darus.

"Careful, Falco," cautioned Fox, his voice wary. "Remember that these are shapeshifters we're dealing with. That might not really be Katt."

"_I assure you, this is Katt Monroe. If you wish, I will even lower the psychic nullifiers around her so that your telepath can verify. While it is true that we can mimic brainwaves to an extent, a telepath of your caliber, Krystal McCloud, should be able to easily see through it."_ Darus pressed a button, and Krystal closed her eyes, delving into the unconscious being's mind. Her eyes snapped open, wide in disbelief.

"By Cerinia," she whispered, shocked, "it IS Katt!" Darus nodded, its eyes that same, calm mask.

"_I suppose that this has gone on long enough. It's time that we got down to what we both came here to do. At the end of this day, either you, or I, will fall. I am sorry that your teammate is aboard my vessel; I captured her on Psion's orders when he discovered that Lombardi had feelings for her." _Darus walked casually towards the command seat, slowly and deliberately easing itself into the cushions, savoring every sensation of what could be its last moments. _"It is time."_ The strange ship charged them, its wings rotating, bolts of plasma erupting from the cannons on their tips. The team scattered to avoid the barrage, searing bolts of purple energy streaking past their ships. The whole time, Darus left the communications open, letting them see Katt. Fox swooped in, and started shooting at Darus, engaging its vessel in deadly aerial combat.

"FOX! What are you doing?!" yelled Falco, terrified that Katt was aboard the enemy craft. "If you kill him now, Katt dies too!" Fox continued to attack Darus, and fired a charge shot into the its engines, damaging them a distressingly small amount.

"Falco, listen!" said Fox, silencing his protesting friend. "I know that Katt's onboard that ship! Do you think this is easy for me?" Fox sighed, shaking his head. "If I don't take him down, we will all _die!_ I will not let that happen!" Krystal, Slippy and Amanda swooped in after him, all firing at the immense ship. Darus dodged and banked, maneuvering his large craft with incredible grace and agility, doing hairpin turns and sharp banks that only Panther Caroso in his Wolfen could perform. Darus slammed on his brakes, and Slippy zoomed ahead of it, unable to stop in time. Darus opened fire, drilling plasma mercilessly into the Bullfrog. Flames burst from its engines and Slippy began swerving and shaking, desperately trying to get out of the way.

"SLIPPY!" cried Amanda, veering her ship around to help him. She cut across the back of the enemy vessel, peppering it with laser fire. Small holes were drilled into the ship's engines hull, and Darus turned to face Amanda. Slowly, the cannon below the nose of Darus' ship began to glow, electricity arcing in its sinister bowels. Without warning, an immense beam of energy erupted from the cannon, electricity arcing along its length. Amanda moved out of the way just in time, but the beam grazed her ship's tail. She looked back… and saw that half of the Tadpole's tail had been disintegrated Eyes wide, Amanda checked her shields. That one shot had reduced them from 90 percent… to 15. Amanda banked up, barely avoiding a hail of plasma from Darus' cannons.

"Amanda!" yelled slippy through his com, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, dear!" she replied struggling with the controls. Darus' eyes went steely on their viewscreens.

"_I'm sorry for this, Amanda, Slippy,"_ he said softly. Before anyone could say anything, arcs of energy lanced out from his ship, directly towards Amanda and Slippy. The arcs of lightning sliced through their engines like a hot knife through butter, and the two plummeted to the ground. Fox, Krystal, and Falco stared at Darus in horror; they had never seen such power. Amanda and Slippy hit the ground, and much to the team's relief, did not explode on impact.

"We're okay, guys!" shouted Slippy through his intercom. "Finish the fight without us!" Fox didn't need another suggestion. He zoomed in towards Darus, deftly dodging bolts of plasma and beams of energy. He loosed shot after shot into the ship's hull, and Krystal started attacking from behind, drilling laser bolts into the back of Darus' ship. Darus stumbled in his chair with the impacts, and his eye became grim.

"_You truly are skilled pilots, Fox and Krystal McCloud. It is not often that I use this."_ Before they could ask what Darus meant, four long, pincer-like arms extended from its ship. The arms were claws on the end of chains of plasma. Darus swung the arms out, and Fox and Krystal desperately tried to dodge them. Falco watched in anguish, conflicted. If he did nothing, his friends would die, but if he helped, he would be responsible for the death of Katt. Fox tried to swerve out of the way as two of the claws zoomed towards him, but he was too slow. The claws grabbed the wings of his ship, and slowly began pulling him in front of Darus' main cannon.

"FOX!" Krystal cried in horror. She zoomed in to help him, but as she did, she failed to see the claws coming in towards her. The claws grabbed the body of her ship, bringing her to an abrupt stop. Tears began to pour down her face as Darus' cannon started to charge. "Falco, help him!" she cried, fearing that she could lose Fox. Darus' eyes were calm, but almost looked apologetic.

"_Krytal, Fox… I am sorry. Goodbye, Fox McCloud."_ Fox stared in horror as the energy balled in the cannon; Darus was about to fire, and there was no way that he could survive that. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable… that never came. He opened his eyes, and saw Falco circling Darus' ship, blasting it with bolts of energy. The claws that were holding him and Krystal were gone, severed by Falco's guns. Falco fired bolt after bolt into Darus' ship, tears running down his face.

"YOU MONSTER!" he screamed, rage and anguish inn his eyes and voice. Darus' ship was badly damaged now, and it was having trouble keeping up with the more agile SkyClaw. Fox and Krystal joined in the attack, raining plasma onto Darus' craft. Falco flew directly towards it, and fired his last bomb into it hull. Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted from the back of Darus' ship, and it began to drift slowly to the ground, explosions erupting across its hull. Darus nodded sadly.

"_It seems that I have fallen prey to you, Falco Lombardi."_ Darus paused, its eye downcast. _"Today, I die in honor. Goodbye, StarFox. Best of luck to you all."_ With that Darus stood, saluted, and turned around, and the communications cut off. Falco began to weep bitterly, his hands at his eyes.

"Katt… Katt…"

* * *

Katt woke to the sound of sirens blaring. Her eyes flicked open, and widened at the sight. The room was bathed in red light from warning signals, and explosions rocked the ship. She turned her head, and saw Darus standing in front of a supply closet. It turned around, and Katt saw that it had a single parachute in its hands. Her eyes widened, and tear began to spill down her face. Was Darus just going to leave her to die? "Darus!" she cried, her voice panicked. "Don't leave me! I know I'm an enemy, but I don't want to die!" Tears streamed down Katt's face, and Darus began to walk towards her, its eyes calm and determined.

"_Katt Monroe…" _he said, pulling a slender, terribly sharp knife out of his pauldron. Katt's eyes widened in horror, and she tried desperately to escape, but the steel cables held her fast. Darus raised the knife high above its head, looking Katt straight in the eyes. Katt closed her eye, waiting for the feeling of metal in her flesh, but it never came. She opened her eyes, and saw that Darus had cut her binds on her arms and legs, and was holding the parachute out to her. _"This isn't for me." _Katt stood, confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes wide, her heart pounding in her chest. What was Darus getting at?

"_Katt Monroe… you did not ask to be in this fight. You were not a combatant. Only one of u will be leaving this ship… and it will be you."_ Katt's eyes widened in realization.

"You're going to save me…" she said softly, eyes wide. "But what about you?" Darus stood, straightening its back, and in that moment, Katt thought Darus looked like the knights of hold: honorable, chivalrous, and ready to die.

"_I have been defeated in combat: I will die with honor." _Katt's jaw dropped: Darus was going to save her; how could she let it die?!

"You can't! Come on, come with me! I'm sure that my team will accept you!" Darus shook his head.

"_I have been defeated in battle. Were I to live, I would be giving up something more precious than life: my honor. I told you that I was willing to die for my people. Now, that is what I will do."_ An explosion rocked the ship, and Katt struggled to remain steady on her feet. Darus stood straight as a rod, his posture military. Once again, he thrust the parachute in Katt's direction. _"There is little time left. You must leave!"_ Katt's eyes grew steely, and a grin formed on her face.

"Not without you," she said determinedly, already devising plans of how Darus could escape with her. Darus sighed, eye downcast.

"_I was afraid you would say that."_ Without warning, Darus shot its arm forward, catching Katt in the stomach and slamming her into the wall. Katt slid down the wall and huddled on her knees, clutching her stomach in pain. Darus walked over to her, and strapped the parachute onto her back. Darus picked her up by the arms, dragging her to the ship's main door. It pushed a combination of buttons, and the door slid open revealing the Doppelganger homeworld. Darus held Katt out of the door by her chest, holding her in one hand and her parachute cord in the other. _"Goodbye, Katt Monroe. I ask only one thing of you: remember who I was. Tell of me; do not let my memory fade and be forgotten. Remember me, Katt Monroe. Remember me."_ Katt nodded, and Darus released her and pulled her parachute cord at once. The parachute billowed out behind Katt, and an updraft pulled her sharply above Darus' falling ship. Her vision went blurry from Darus' blow, and the last thing she saw before fading into unconsciousness was Darus standing in the doorway, saluting her. Then her vision darkened, and she sank into sleep.

* * *

Falco and the others flew away from the battlefield. Slippy and Amanda stood on the wings of Fox and Krytal's ships. Falco' eyes were bitter and grim. "Falco," said Fox, "are you alright?"

"I'm _fine_, foxie," Falco snapped, hi voice cold. Suddenly, he saw a parachute floating up into the sky, a limp form attached to it. Falco's eyes widened; had Darus survived and left Katt to die?! Suddenly, Krystal opened communications.

"Everybody look!" she exclaimed, pointing at the parachute. "It's Katt! Katt's alive!" Falco didn't need a second warning. He zoomed off towards her, pushing his damaged ship to the limits. As he drew close to the parachute, tears of joy formed in his eyes: it was her! Katt was alive! Her eyes were closed, but she was alive. He slowed down, bringing his ship under her, and opened his cockpit, letting her drift gently down into his ship with him. He cut the cords attaching her to the chute, and watched as the billowing fabric blew away in the wind. He closed the cockpit, and followed Fox towards the _Ensthiasmus_, carrying his beloved away from the torn landscape.

* * *

Katt woke, rubbing her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw that she was in a white bed, white sheets draped over her form. She felt something on her hand, and looked to her side. Falco was there, clasping her hand in his, smiling broadly. Katt's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, well, hello," she said sheepishly, blushing slightly. Falco put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Shhh, it's alright, you're safe now," he said softly, tears of happiness budding in his eyes. Katt threw herself into his body, hugging him tightly. Falco hugged her close to his body, all the fear and anguish pouring out at once. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said softly, trying and failing to keep his cool. Katt laughed.

"What's this? Does Falco Lombardi actually have _emotions_?!" she said sarcastically, hugging him tighter. "It's good to be back," she said softly, closing her eyes. Falco pulled out of the hug, and Katt opened her eyes, confused. Falco looked concerned, and shockingly, almost _worried_.

"What did they do to you? Did Darus hurt you? Are you okay?" he said worriedly, holding her shoulders. Katt frowned, her eye sad.

"All Darus did was tie me to a comfortable chair." Katt looked up at Falco; he was confused. "Falco… Darus told me what it believed in. It told me of their culture, how they're raised and taught. Darus told me its philosophy. It told me that it didn't enjoy killing, but rather fought for the test of skill between pilots, fought for honor, and most importantly, fought for its people. It told me that it didn't want to do what it was doing; using me in battle went against all of its principles. But their Queen had decreed that what Psion said was the path to betterment for their people, so Darus followed Psion's orders. In the end… Darus saved me." At this, Falco's eyes widened. He had never thought that Doppelgangers could be actual people, he had always thought of them as evil monsters, things to be destroyed. "As the ship was going down, Darus gave me a parachute, and pushed me out of the main door." Falco looked shocked.

"What happened to it?" asked Falco, genuinely wanting to hear the rest of the story. Katt looked away, her eyes sad.

"Darus… Darus stayed behind. It died for its honor, and in the belief that it was doing the right thing for its people." Katt looked up into Falco's eyes, and Falco gazed into hers. In that moment, the two connected like they never had before. Slowly, they moved forward, their lips parting slightly, and met. Aboard the _Ensthiasmus_, in the hospital wing, Katt Monroe and Falco Lombardi shared their first, real, kiss.

* * *

Ooh! Katt and Falco, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S- Ow! Stop hitting me! Ahhh! Not the claws! Agh, sharp, sharp!

Ouch... after being beat up by Katt and Falco, I continue this monotony. What did you thionk of this chapter? What were you expecting when you saw the name Hero? This chapter shows that there are always heroes on both sides of the battlefield. I hope you enjoyed it!

Please R&R!

-Baeowulf


	10. Prenuntius

Hello! Baeowulf again! The below is my awesome co-author Jaybird, who so far has been responsible for one chapter, the first aerial fight scene, and many other snippets in the beginning when we would get together and write by handing each other a notebook, back and forth, sometimes on a sentence by sentence basis. He is responsible for the first few sections in this chapter; I am responsible for the scene where Reaper tells Wolf about her past and Wolf's following internal struggle, and much of the later chapter, although Jaybird worked his magic with Psion's dialogue with Savant. I hope you are all enjoying our story, and I hope that our irregular updates haven't deterred any of you from reading or reviewing. Once again, your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please, R&R!

And now, a mesage from my co-author...

Hi everyone! It's Baeowulf's co-author again. Great to be back. (Baeowulf writes really fast.) And notfromearth7, that's not very nice. Anyway, a few important things before I start writing, which you have my full permission to ignore if you just want to start reading the story again. Baeowulf has edited chapter 8: Progress. There are no new plotline developments, but you can re-read it if you feel like reading more details. So! The team is finally back together, and none of them are near-dead. Will the team prevail to eventually destroy the Shi'krii planet/Queen/base? Do you remember what the Shi'krii are? (The Doppelgangers, btw.) Will I ever stop asking stupid rhetorical questions? Probably. But for now… Let's rejoin the team. Let's see… where were we…

* * *

Falco heard Fox walking down the hall and quickly broke apart from Katt. They turned away from each other, blushing awkwardly until the rest of the team got there.

"Yes!" shouted Slippy triumphantly. "I never thought I'd see the day when we'd all be back together again, alive. And this ship is amazing! I've talked with – what's his name, Savant? – And he says the ship is alive! Really, guys! Alive! And the navigation system draws power from some external cosmic force that I've never head of before, and, I, well… Isn't this so _cool_?"

"Calm down, Slippy, before you start hyperventilating," said Falco, but he was grinning. He never thought he'd be able to say it with a straight face, but he had missed the little toad, and they hadn't really been able to catch up on the surface of the planet. The _Ensthiasmus_ was on its way away from Sector X, hopefully for a long time.

"Falco, don't you start…"

"It's okay, Amanda," said Slippy comfortingly. "It's Falco."

"Hey, lay off of… him…" Katt started, but quickly fell silent, blushing again. Krystal took her arm and smiled.

"We're just here to make sure you're okay. You had quite an ordeal a while ago."

"Yeah, I'm fine… It'll be a while before I can really sort out what Darus said…"

"You'll need to tell us all about it eventually," said Fox, standing up, "But Savant wanted to talk with us about our next course of action."

"Great, I'm getting really tired of just lying here," said Katt, relieved that she didn't need to stay in the hospital any longer than she already had.

"Oh, and Falco, you've got a little something on your beak… right about here…" said Fox grinning, pointing at the side of his own mouth.

Falco reached up to feel the indicated area and stopped when he felt something definitely much softer than his beak. He brushed it off, and a few hairs the exact color of Katt's fur drifted to the floor. He stood up very quickly, and, mumbling something incomprehensible to the others, took off after Fox, snarling.

* * *

Reaper walked confidently down the hall to the room she had arranged to meet Psion, Wolf and his team following her. Normally Wolf would be in front, but the plasma turrets were designed to automatically decimate any signature not programmed in, so it was agreed that Reaper could lead the way. She placed her paw on the scanner by the door and strode in, casually ducking the laser that fired at her as she crossed the threshold. The security methods were a bit overboard, perhaps, but they were effective.

"Hello, Psion," she said, walking quickly up to the control panels in the corner and facing the once-more tall, thin doppelganger there.

"_Reaper. As expected. And who are these… people… following you?"_ responded Psion, glancing back at Wolf, Panther, and Leon.

"This is team Star Wolf." Lowering her voice, she said to only him, "I've joined their team, but it's only for as long as I need them." Once more speaking to the room at large, she continued, "They, too, call Star Fox their enemies, and will help in the task you have given me. I am ready to attempt it again."

"_Team Star Fox has left,"_ said Psion coolly. _"They invaded the Prenuntius, destroyed the hull, killed Darus, and _almost_ ruined everything. You are too late."_

"Sir… Sir, I – "

"_But, it is not entirely your fault,"_ reasoned Psion. _"They received backup from that miserable wretch Elasmus, disgrace to us all that he is. Savant and his ilk will be very sorry if they dare to show their faces again. I personally piloted the core away from the wreckage of the _Prenuntius_, and no lasting damage was done. The Shi'krii that died that day are… replaceable."_ He paused, and Reaper held her breath. She did not try to run, or draw her blade; If Psion wished her removed, then she and the rest of Star Wolf would die. Simple as that. Hopefully he wouldn't.

"_Your mistake has not caused a catastrophic problem… yet. Your task is to seek Fox McCloud and kill him and his team. Ask no questions, take no prisoners. Do not fail again. Wolf O'Donnel, know this: if you or any of your team are a hindrance to either Reaper or me, you will regret it."_

"Y-yes, sir," stuttered Wolf, mentally berating himself. Stuttering? He never stuttered.

"_Dismissed. Go."_

Okay, yes he did. Mentally weighing the repercussions, he decided he also wasn't quite proud enough to stop him from practically sprinting down the hallway, his team close at his heels.

"How… how do you… stand up… to that guy?" he panted as Reaper calmly walked up to them.

"Despite his power, army, and prowess as a telepath, he needs me to go out on missions for him when he is otherwise occupied, and respects my success rate. Otherwise I'd be dead the moment I saw him, as would you all. How will we go about finding Kry – Fox, sir?"

Wolf recovered quickly. They had a job to do, and it would be better for everyone if they got it done quickly. "From what I understand, Fox was here. Now he's not. If he got off a hostile planet alive, the first thing he'd do would be get as far away as possible, to a safe place, so…" He groaned. "I think we're going to have to go back to Corneria again."

He started walking back to their ships, followed by the others. This was their third trip back to Corneria since they started looking for Fox and his team, and they were all hoping they wouldn't need to make another. But it seemed they had finally picked up his trail and were on their way again.

* * *

"Here's how I see it," said Savant, turning from the vast array of hologram boards before him to face Fox and his friends, "The Queen's forces were hurt by your attack, no doubt, but there are still a lot left, and the superweapon in the core of the _Prenuntius_ survived. They will probably attack soon, and they will probably succeed: This attack has been planned for centuries. You are the only ones who know about this and have the power to stop them. I can help, but to maintain my guise of allegiance to the empire, I cannot overtly fight them. Their first target will almost certainly be Corneria, so does anyone have an argument against going there?"

"What about all my books?" asked Krystal, "and my other magical artifacts? It took a long time to get them all, I don't want them just left on Sauria. Can we make a quick stop there?"

"Okay, we'll go to Sauria, get Krystal's things, and go defend Corneria. Objections?"

Everyone was silent.

"No? Good, let's go."

As everyone started walking back, Fox realized how tired he still was. He had been on the planet or near death for a long time. He trudged back to his quarters and flopped down on the bed, waiting for sleep. Instead, however, he felt an odd presence in part of his mind that wouldn't go away. He tried to ignore it, but found it distracting. Finally he rolled over and sat up.

"_Krystal, if that's you, that's really annoying,"_ he thought, knowing she would hear it. The presence just grew stronger.

"_I did tell you I would talk to you later,"_ said a familiar voice.

"Ensthiasmus?"

"_Very good. You are learning to recognize me."_

"But this is insane! How can I be talking to you? Are all ships… alive? I mean, you're an inanimate object! How can… whoa!"

The walls and ceiling around him had compressed, confining him to a very small space. _"Do you really believe that anymore?"_ said the _Ensthiasmus_, it's voice shaking with anger.

"Okay, okay, no! I just wondered how you can talk! I know you're alive, and it's obvious you can think. I'm just not used to meeting living technology. Can you forgive me if I'm a little uninformed?

The walls slowly withdrew. _"Very well. No, your ships are not alive. Savant has been experimenting with new organic technologies. I am a result of that, as are his ship, Siren's ship, and _Blade_."_

"_Blade_ is Elasmus's ship, right? It's alive?"

"_Yes. Ordinarily we do not commune with other life, particularly Lylatian life, but you must be warned. The Shi'krii empire is powerful, but some Shi'krii are even stronger. The Queen's death… may not bring what you think… be careful…"_

The _Ensthiasmus_ withdrew from his mind, and Fox finally collapsed onto his bed, with a lot to think about. What could that mean?"

* * *

Savant walked calmly into the communications room and pressed a button. Instantly Psion's face appeared on the holo-board in front of him, and he knew Psion could now see him.

"_Savant."_

"_Psion."_

"_You are cooperating with these creatures. What value do you see in them at all? They are inferior. Nothing can match the greatness of the Shi'krii… not even false technology made of lesser life, not even the fake-bodied brood of those who would seek to withdraw from us."_

Savant's eyes drew to slits as he quickly inhaled. _"Don't talk about Elasmus that way. He's more a Shi'krii than you ever were, even before you went mad."_

"_I? Mad? I have taken the Shi'krii to power! I will take them to glory! Lylat will be ours and I will dispose of you! And you think ME mad?"_

"_I do. You have conned the entire Shi'krii race into believing your way to be the way to success. You have even convinced the Queen you are working for her!"_

Psion chuckled, a raspy screech that made Savant flinch. _"You are certainly one to talk, you traitor. You are working as much against the Queen as I! I know far more of your plans than you would think. You are using team Star Fox to take out the Queen, and me in the process, if possible. With the leader and second-in-command gone, the Shi'krii will turn to you, in all your despicable experimentation, and find _you_ to be a fit leader."_

"_Not so. I have never wished to lead. The Queen must die: even you believe that. And as for me working with the Lylatians: what is this I have heard about a certain jackal named… if memory serves… Reaper?"_

"_She is a tool, nothing more. I do not plan to keep her alive a second longer than is absolutely necessary. She is a very effective servant."_

"_Not last I checked. She was easily foiled by Elasmus, whom you find to be so weak."_

"_That was a fluke!"_ Psion screamed in rage. _"If you hadn't stuck your son in where he didn't belong, Fox and Krystal McCloud would now be dead, and I triumphant! If I could only tell the Queen what I know of your treachery…"_

"_Unfortunately, you cannot, because that would require revealing your own. I am not afraid of you, Psion. I only agreed to this link because I wanted to show that. You cannot order me to cease my campaign. You cannot even stop me by force. I will continue, as you most certainly will, until one of us, along with the Queen, is dead. Then we will see who is indeed mad."_

Savant pressed the "end link" button, smirking.

Meanwhile, Psion continued staring at the now-blank screen in front of him, thinking. Savant was right, he couldn't tell the Queen of what he knew, but the Queen, too, was but a pawn, and he could control her forces himself. Savant would not be a barrier. The superweapon was intact: Corneria would still fall. If Savant tried to step in again, he would be ready.

* * *

Reaper sat in a soft chair in her dorm, sighing as she leaned her head back against the top of the chair. She brought her head back up, and her body began to shake, her eyes wide in fear. She had worn a mask of calm when in Wolf and the others' presence, but her meetings with Psion were always unnerving, especially when he was angry. Breathing deeply, Reaper regained her composure, running her gauntleted paw through her long, jet-black hair. She winced as she did: her arm was acting up again. Rolling her eyes, she took her right paw and pressed a small button in the shoulder of her gauntlet. The metal armor expanded and dropped to the floor with a hiss, and Reaper grimaced as the air hit her arm. The limb was devoid of fur, and was mottled with an ugly mixture of pinks and dark, dull reds. Slowly, Reaper began to massage the arm, rubbing her fingers delicately in the reddened flesh, soothing the aches and pains. She grimaced: her left arm was completely covered in burns, yet another thing she had to thank Krystal for. Reaper's eyes drooped downwards; how could Krystal not have believed her? They were like sisters: could there be a greater trust? A single tear ran down Reaper's face, but her eyes quickly grew dark with hate. "_Krystal's a monster; she deserves to _die_ for what she had done to_ _me!"_ thought Reaper, beginning to massage her arm more fiercely. In her anger, her claws flicked out from both hands… right into her burned arm. "Aagh!" yelled Reaper, jumping out of the chair in pain. She clamped her mouth on the wound, sucking hard on her pierced flesh. Suddenly, she heard the door open behind her. Reaper grabbed Fang and turned around, placing the tip of the blade against the neck of the intruder in less than a second. Wolf stood there on his tip-toes, eye showing a slight nervousness, his mouth in a slight grin. He chuckled a bit, his low, gravelly voice rumbling in his throat.

"Heh, remind me not to sneak up on you," he said quietly, slowly pushing the blade away from his neck. Reaper sheathed the sword, and turned around.

"Why are you here?" she asked coldly, paw on the hilt of her blade. Wolf settled onto his feet, a small sigh escaping from his mouth.

"You know very well why I'm here, Reaper," he said, staring at the back of her head. Wolf noticed his gaze wandering over Reaper's body, and he snapped himself back to attention, cursing himself inwardly. He supposed it couldn't be helped; it had been a long time since he had seen a female who hadn't wanted to kill him in one way or another. "You started to say Krystal's name back when we met with that freak Psion," Wolf said, his voice stern. "I want to know why." Reaper sighed, and turned around to face her "captain".

"You want to know why? Do you really? The truth isn't always better."

"Stop avoiding my question! How do you know Krystal McCloud?"

"So be it," said Reaper, her voice wavering a bit. "I am one of her people. They turned against me. That's why I know Krystal. That's why I have become what I am." Her head drooped, and she whispered, "I'm a Cerinian."

"Wait; isn't Krystal the last one?"

"Obviously not. I don't know how many are left, but I've tried to make sure that I am the only one left," Reaper said, balling her paws into fists. "And all that that implies." Wolf's eye widened, shocked at what he had heard.

"You killed your own people?" he said, shocked.

"They betrayed me!" Reaper screamed, flinging her arms out wide, leaning in forward. "And besides, it's not like you're any different!" Wolf found his eye wandering again, but once again he quickly corrected his vision. He chuckled a bit, smiling.

"True, but my people aren't on the verge of extinction." Reaper scoffed at his comment, turning around.

"You wouldn't understand," she said, a touch of sadness and confusion in her voice.

"That's not good enough, Reaper," snarled Wolf, growing impatient. "I want to know what it is you have against Krystal, and if this personal vendetta of yours is going to interfere with my mission!" Reaper stiffened.

"Fine. When I was just a pup, my parents were taken from me in a fire. Our house burned to the ground, and I was the only survivor. I ran as fast as I could through the jungle, and I was found by Krystal's parents. We were about five at the time; just young pups, carefree and happy. Krystal's family adopted me, and Krystal and I grew up like sisters. We did everything together: we played together, we went to school together, and finally, we graduated together, at the top of our class. Then… then the schoolmaster was murdered." Reaper paused, regaining her composure. "I was blamed. Krystal, the very person I trusted most, carried out my punishment. She took my telepathy, and banished me into the jungles to fend for myself, only letting me take my ancestral weapon." As she said this, Reaper patted her sword fondly, running her fingers over its glistening pommelstone. "There were dangerous things in those jungles, Wolf. Things that can do this," she said, pointing to her arm and the scar on her eye. "That's why I hate Krystal," Reaper said, her voice quavering. "That… that's why I have to kill her." Wolf's eye softened, and for the first time, he actually felt _pity_. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt immensely sorry for Reaper. Reaper turned around, and Wolf walked up to her, placing a paw on her shoulder.

"Uh, look, Reaper," he said, unsure how to proceed. "If there's anything you need to talk about, I'm, eh, I'm always here." Reaper jumped slightly at his words, unsure what to think. Slowly, Reaper gained her composure, and brushed Wolf's paw off her shoulder harshly.

"Leave me alone," she said softly, struggling to keep her cool. She heard Wolf sigh and walk out the door, the electronic doors sliding shut as he left the room. Reaper collapsed in her chair, crying softly. "Why?" she whispered, her paws at her eyes. "Why, Krystal?"

Wolf walked down the corridors of the Sargasso base, shoulders hunched, sulking. How could he have been so immature? Honestly, one woman on board, and he starts getting the "wandering eye" syndrome! Embarrassing! "Well…" Wolf mused to himself, grinning slightly, "she is one heck of a woman." Wolf chuckled, grinning, remembering what Reaper had done to his goons: it had taken quite a while to clean up the mess! He sighed to himself, frustrated, knowing that this wasn't all he liked about Reaper. "_Why am I like this?"_ he thought to himself, frustrated. _"Sure, she's pretty, but so was Krystal, and I never acted like this around her!_" Wolf sighed; why did he feel like this? For some reason, he felt inexplicably compelled to help Reaper. He thought back to her story, and shuddered; he had never thought that Krystal could be capable of something like that! Sure, they were rivals, but he had never thought of Krystal or her team as actually evil! Wolf walked down the long passageway, muttering under his breath. He rounded the corner, heading to his room… and bumped into something. Leon materialized right in front of him, grinning sinisterly.

"Hey boss," he said in a mocking tone, "what's wrong?" Leon cackled, and Wolf rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Nothing Leon," wolf sighed, irritated at the chameleon, "I was just thinking about Reap—" Leon interrupted him with a long, raspy laugh.

"Oh, you were thinking about Reaper, were you?" Leon laughed long and loud as his captain's face went red under his dark fur. "Does Wolf have a crush?" Wolf's eyes widened.

"I—I do not!" Leon laughed, and turned down the corridor, walking away.

"Say whatever you want, Wolf! Say whatever you want…"

Wolf grumbled to himself about actions involving Leon and sharp objects, and walked into his room, still blushing slightly. He couldn't have a crush! He couldn't be experiencing any kind of love! He was the toughest mercenary in Lylat! … or was he? He sighed to himself, sinking into his soft chair and grabbing a drink from his mini fridge. Nothing was as easy as it was before. He had always acted on his instincts, and it had gotten him through his life alive. But now a whole new spectrum of grey had been added to his black-and-white world, and he had the feeling that a whole range of color was about to come in.

* * *

Fox woke up to a soft beep as Savant strode through the door into his chamber. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock beside his bed. It was already 9:00. He got up, turning to Savant.

"What's up?"

"We've reached Sauria. Your ships are ready to take you down."

"Great, you'll hardly know we're gone."

Fox pulled on his combat-suit and walked out of his room to find Krystal already waiting for him. The others had no particular reason to go down, and while Katt was itching for action, she still needed to rest. It wouldn't really classify as a "mission" either: go down, get their stuff, go back up.

He smiled at his wife as they walked to the hangar, and she grinned back. She seemed so much more at ease now that she would have her things back. They were all she had left of her planet, and Fox realized how much they really meant to her.

They got into two of the ships in the room, not particularly caring which, as their own were destroyed and on the Doppelganger homeworld. Fox took a moment to familiarize himself with the controls, set up a radio link with Krystal, and flew out, glad to be back on the familiar landscape. As the two flew over the site where their honeymoon cottage had been, their hearts nearly stopped. The grassy hillside had been reduced to a charred and barren wasteland, with no signs of life. The nearby forest had been decimated, and from the air it was clear that at least half the trees had been destroyed. The lake was an empty crater, and the bottom was covered in a thin layer of ash that was once a thriving aquatic ecosystem. At the center of everything, their little cottage sat, decimated, a macabre focal point for the ring of death. Its walls were smashed in, and most of the wood was reduced to cinders. Hardened slag was visible where the metal supports had melted, and drips of plastic ran down the walls. Fox and Krystal set their ships down, and stepped out onto the barren landscape, the hard, black soil crunching beneath their feet. How long had it been since they had last been here? A few weeks, at most. So much had changed.

Fox pushed the shatttered door open, watching as it fell into the house to rest in the dust, sending a small cloud of charcoal up from the floor. Tentatively, Fox and Krystal walked in, carefully testing the floorboards before taking a step. The floor creaked beneath their feet, and charcoal filtered down on them from the charred roof. Slowly, they made their way to what had been their bedroom. Incredibly, the door was still intact, although less could be said for its frame.

"You ready for this?" Fox asked Krystal nervously, knowing that given the amount of destruction they had witnessed, it was unlikely anything had survived. Krystal nodded, absentmindedly readying her staff. Fox pressed on the door, and the frame around it collapsed, the hard, wooden door falling to the floor with a resounding thud. The two of them walked into the room, marveling at the macabre display. Here, there was a relatively small amount of burning damage, but the entire room was warped and twisted. The bed caved in along the middle, and twisted over so that while the front was standing perfectly, the foot of the bed was upside down. Bookshelves lay tipped over, spilling their contents onto the floor, and the floor itself looked like a field of boulders. Krystal gasped, and ran over to the collapsed bookshelf, collapsing to her knees as she saw the ancient Cerinian tomes spilled and crushed like old newspapers. Fox propped his back against the bookshelf, and pressing against it with his legs, tipped it over, uncovering the books below. Krystal's eyes widened, and tears began to run from her eyes. The tomes were, for the most part, destroyed. Blackened pages littered the floor, and many books had holes in their middles. Fox walked over to her, tenderly hugging her to his chest as she sobbed.

"It's all gone," Krystal whimpered, her eyes closed. "All of my people's knowledge, all destroyed." Fox held her tight, gently hushing her, when suddenly, something caught his eye. A small bit of blue poked out from under a pile of withered pages, its color as brilliant as the ocean.

"Look over there," Fox whispered into his wife's ear, pointing. Slowly, the two stood, and Krystal brushed the pages away. Her eyes brightened, and a wide smile spread across her face. Four books remained intact: one blue, one red, one green, and one a brilliant white: the Elemental Compendiums. These four books contained the Cerinian knowledge of the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. These four books were a guide to a telepath's powers over their environment, and each had been written by an Elemental Sage, an elder who had mastered their particular element. Krystal picked the ooks up as though they were made of glass, handling them with the same delicacy a mother would her new-born child. Fox smiled; he loved to see Krystal happy.

"Fox, do you know what these are?" Krystal said to him, exitedly. Fox shook his head, smiling, scratching absentmindedly at the base of his skull. "These are the Elemental Compendiums!" Fox stared at her blankly, and Krystal rolled her eyes. "They're guides to my magic!" At this, Fox's eyes widened. Krystal was already a powerful telepath and sorceress in her own right; with these books to hone her talents, Fox truly believed that she could become unstoppable.

"So, what now?" Fox asked, bewildered. Krystal walked up to him, clutching the ancient tomes to her chest.

"First, we head to Corneria," she said, her eyes flickering with adventure. "Then, I think it's time we showed Psion just what I can do with these!"

* * *

Psion stood on board the bridge of the _Prenuntius_ core, softly drumming his long, clawed fingers on the steel control panel. He watched the small green and blue planet known as Corneria slowly grow larger in the window, watching as the battleships that circled it slowly came into focus. He had waited so long for this day, so long for the day that would bring the eradication of the lesser species. Corneria, the core Lylatian planet, would be the first to fall, and after that, the others would come all too easily. Yes, he had lost Darus to team StarFox, but in his death one of their ace pilots, Katt Monroe, had been destroyed. All of his planning lead up to this day, all going back to when he first laid eyes on this pitiful system, all those thousands of years ago. He had watched them through the years, he had seen those wretched creatures advance through the stone age and all the way to where they had come now. For many years, he had waited for the opportune moment to strike, waiting for when he could be sure that victory was secured. Before had been too early to strike; there was no point wasting resources to eradicate a race of cavemen or midieval numbskulls; no, even at the beginning of the nuclear age, there was still a chance they would wipe themselves out. But now... now he had the perfect resources, and the entire military at his personal disposal. He was startled out of his thoughts by an incoming transmission. A voice echoed over the intercom: Lylatian, but Psion didn't care what breed. For all he cared, the Lylatians were all the same: ugly, weak creatures, never able to rival the singular beauty of the Shi'Krii.

"Mothership vessel!" the voice shouted over the intercom, booming over the speakers. "Reveal name and security clearance!" Psion waited, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. Again, the voice spoke. "Vessel! Please reveal your name and security clearance! We will not hesitate to fire! You have one further warning! I ask you again, please reveal your name and security clearance!" This time, Psion had a response. He reached out with his mind to every Shi'Krii aboard the Prenuntius, sending a single order.

"_Fire at will!_" At once, the _Prenuntius'_ ion cannons fired, sending beams on bright energy streaking through the darkness of space. Rail guns sent shudders through the ship as they launched enourmous balls of plasma through the void, green energy trailing behind them. The Lylatian vessels swerved to escape, but to no avail. In the first assault, dozens were reduced to smoldering shards of shrapnel drifting through space. Psion opened his mind to the Lylatian fleet: he could feel their terror, and could see tiny glowing dots, individual minds, scurrying in panic across the decks of each ship. He absorbed information about the troops and smiled as they were destroyed. Mitch McFarlain, age 30, father of 3, deceased. Laura Farris, age 23, deceased. Thousands of names flew into Psion's head as their owners died, carrying their screams with them. Psion smiled with every one. The Lylatians opened fire on the _Prenuntius_, but their puny shots had no effect: the bright beams of light bounced off of the ship's shields before they came within 100 feet of the vessel. As the _Prenuntius_ drifted forward, the fire stopped: the entire Lylatian fleet had been destroyed. Tiny medical shuttles sped away from the field of wreckage, carrying survivors away. "_Leave them,_" Psion ordered: they didn't matter. Psion smiled wickedly, his mind filling with a psychotic joy: the invasion of Corneria had begun.

* * *

Fox ran frantically to the hanger of the _Ensthiasmus_, his feet barely touching the floor before lifting off the ground once more. While he and Krystal had been on Sauria, Corneria had been attacked. Already, the entire defense fleet had been destroyed. As the _Ensthiasmus_ approached the planet, Fox's eyes widened: Shrapnel surrounded the planet like a grisly second atmosphere, and he could just make out some vaguely lylatian shapes drifting among the rubble. He stopped in his tracks, staring out the window in horror at the wreckage. The _Ensthiasmus_ slowed down so as not to impact the drifting rubble, moving at a snail's pace through the ship graveyard. Fox's eyes widened as a body bounced off the window he was staring through: it was a young, female wolf, her eyes wide in death, tear streaks on her fur. Her hands clutched futilely at her throat, and her body was frozen in a jerked position. Fox shuddered as the body drifted past the window: he had been in many wars, but _never_ had he seen something so horrific. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, and saw Krystal standing behind him, her eyes wide in shock, tears rolling down her face.

"Fox," she whispered softly, her voice quavering. "There's nothing. I opened my mind... there's nothing..." she collapsed into Fox, shuddering, panting heavily. When she had seen the wreckage, she had opened her mind to detect any survivors in the area. There were none.

"Shhh, it's alright," Fox whispered soothingly into Krystal's ear, gently rocking her back and forth, comforting her. Just then, Falco and Katt came running down the hall, breaking the moment of silence.

"Hey! You two!" Falco shouted in his loud, obnoxious voice, "C'mon! _Slippy and Amanda_ beat you guys to the hangar! Hurry up or you two lovebirds are gonna miss all the fun!" Fox and Krystal pulled out of their embrace, and Fox had a wide smirk on his face.

"Really now? You know, Falco, it seems Slippy and Amanda beat _you_ to the hangar as well!" Fox grinned as Falco's eyes widened, realizing he had been caught. "Tell me... what exactly were you _and_ Katt doing?" Falco stuttered, and his face flushed deeply. Katt rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Fox, let's get to the hangar before you melt _all_ of Falco's pride, shall we?" she said, enjoying Falco's predicament as much as Fox and Krystal were. Krystal nodded, and the four took off down the halls of the _Ensthiasmus_, their feet flying across the smooth floors, a trail of lights appearing in front of them as they ran. Finally they reached the hangar. As they entered, they saw Slippy and Amanda leaning on their ships, Slippy tapping his foot expectantly.

"What took you guys so long?" he said, smirking as Falco blushed. The moment was interrupted when the loudspeakers began to blare.

"Attention Star Fox team! We have entered fighter-craft range of the planet,, but have not yet cleared the wreckage field! Prepare to launch!" The team snapped to their senses, going from loose, young Lylatians to strict military personnel in a split second. Without word, they each jumped gracefully into their cockpits, except for slippy, who climbed in while grumbling a few curses. One by one, they each readied their spacecraft, and the six silvery ships jolted as the launching arms lifted them from the hangar floor. Without further warning, the arms shot forward and launched the ships into space. Almost immediately, they began to dodge and swerve, zipping gracefully around the pieces of wreckage.

"This reminds me of Pigma's base!" shouted Krystal over the intercom as she wrestled with the controls to swerve around the gigantic hull fragments that drifted through space. The team dodged and swerved for what seemed like hours, but finally, they cleared the wreckage field.

"All ships, report!" called Fox, waiting for a response.

"I'm good!" Krystal shouted.

"Clear!" shouted Slippy and Amanda in unison.

"I'm still here!" yelled Katt.

"Come ON! When are we gonna kick some Doppleganger butt?!" shouted Falco impatiently. Fox smirked, and the six ships entered the atmosphere.

"Adjusting G-Diffusers!" Fox yelled thhrough the comm. The wings on his ship expanded before he could even touch the control panel, and Fox marveled at how advanced this enemy was. Suddenly, he saw Corneria. Nothing could have prepared him. Buildings were collapsed in upon themselves, skyscrapers had been leveled to the ground. Plumes of smoke erupted from the wreckage, and huge gashes were torn in the landscape. Holes were drilled straight through skycrapers strong enough to survive an impact with an arwing, and battallions of grey soldiers lined the streets, cutting down everyone in their path. Citizens fled before them: the grey soldiers shot them with no mercy. Fox looked up, and saw one, enormous ship hovering above the city, fighters spewing from it's belly, it's cannons raking the landscape. Almost instinctively, Fox knew that Psion was on board that ship. His eyes narrowed, and his hands tightened on the control stick. The battle for Corneria had begun.

* * *

So! It seems that Psion has launched an assault against corneria! The singular power of the Prenuntius is destroying everything in it's path, and hordes of Shi'Krii soldiers march the streets. How will Fox win? Or will he die in a storm of fire and lighting? Only time may tell...

The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever-changing patterns.

- Baeowulf


	11. Battle for Corneria, Part 1

Hello again! It has been far too long, I know, but we have been having a bit of writer's block. (This is Baeowulf speaking, by the way.) Both I and my co-author worked on this, and I hope you enjoy (if there are any of you guys left, of course!) But anyways, let's get back to the action!

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

* * *

Alarm bells blared as Bill sat bolt upright in the barracks. He jumped out of his cot, frantically pulling some pants on, and ran outside to see what had triggered the alarm. Other fighter pilots were running into the main hangar, some looking just as confused as he was. The alarm was only used in rare circumstances. They had had a drill just last week, nobody important was visiting, and they weren't at war with anyone. Even in his current half-awake state, Bill knew that left only one possibility. Corneria itself was under attack.

Knowing now that every second was crucial, he grabbed his blaster and sprinted to one of the fighters. He practically flew up the ladder to the cockpit, and held down the button to seal it, frustrated that the machinery wouldn't work any faster. But it was just that: a machine. The fighter didn't care if the main planet in Lylat was destroyed, it took its time. When the pneumatic hiss finally alerted Bill that he could take off, he screamed out of the hangar, already setting up a video link to his commander, his team, and a few friends that he didn't really have clearance to talk to. But the planet was clearly under siege, and he cared a lot more about his friends' welfare than a potential week of garbage duty. When his captain's face appeared on the screen, as it did on the rest of his team's, he quickly said what they were all thinking.

"Captain, what's going on?"  
"Didn't we already take care of the last major threats in the area?"  
"Something got by our scouts, or destroyed them. I can't contact the main fleet, and they aren't showing up on the base's sensors. They were probably all destroyed. We need to -"  
"To take out something that destroyed the entire _fleet_?" said Bill incredulously.  
"Grey! Don't interrupt!"  
"Sorry, captain."  
"But in essence, you're right. We have no clue how powerful this thing is, but we know its just one ship. It won't answer our hailing signals, and team Star Fox is out of the area. Ordinarily, we could call on..." he grimaced. "Star Wolf, but they're out too. So it's down to us. Lets go. All fighters, check in."  
"Red one, in."  
"Red two, in."  
"Red three, in," echoed Bill.  
"Red five, in."  
"What?"

They looked around, and Bill was the first to see the flaming wreckage of a Cornerian fighter corkscrewing towards the ground. He barely swerved out of the way of the next laser bolt, aimed at him, before they saw their foe: a colossal fighter unlike any they had seen before. It looked like it had been damaged, somewhat recently, but clearly not by their fighters. They opened fire, but their shots were easily deflected by the ships shields.

"Red six! Whats the status on those shields?" barked the captain.  
"I can't get it! There's a negation field surrounding the ship!"  
"This is too vital to not know! Get me Beltino!"

* * *

Beltino woke up, irritated at being called so early. What could the captain want _now_? The old toad hopped out of bed, pulling on his signature lab suit and placing his rectangular glasses on his face. Beltino walked over to the comm panel, pressing the answer button. An image of the captain popped into life above the device, his face tense. Beltino stared at the hologram, dark rings under his tired eyes. "What's this about, captain?" he said, annoyed.

"This!" shouted the captain, and the image changed. Beltino's eyes widened: it was a ship, but unlike any he had ever seen. It was essentially a giant sphere, making the buildings of Corneria city seem small by comparison. Immense red beams fired from the ship's surface, carving huge craters into the landscape. Buildings around it lay in smoking ruins, and rubble lined the streets. "It's got some kind of negation shield; our shots can't penetrate it!" shouted the Captain, his face grim. "We need an analysis!" Beltino stared in shock for a few moments, then snapped to his senses.

"Uh, right, yes," muttered Beltino, running to the computer. He began typing furiously, trying to access the city security net. Beltino started a scan of the immense ship, trying to find any weak points. To his great surprise, the scan turned up negative. It didn't say that there were no weak points, there just was no information. Beltino ran back to the comm board. "The scans can't pick anything up! We're in the black!"

* * *

Psion watched, his eyes narrowed as though he were smiling deviously, as Corneria city was destroyed. A small group of fighters charged at the _Prenuntius_ core, but a single shot from one of its cannons sent one of them flaming to the ground. The ship exploded in a grand display of pyrotechnics, pieces of metal flying over the battlefield. Psion grinned as he felt the pilot's life flicker out like the flame of a feeble candle, and a small echoe of "deceased" sounded in the back of his elongated cranium. The Doppleganger Prince walked over to the communications board, his digitigrade legs bending strangely, his talons clicking against the metal floor. He hit a small button, his clawed finger depressing it into the metal board.

"_Officer! Report on the progress of invasion!"_ he said, his strange voice more thought than heard.

"_All is going according to plan,_" replied the officer, and Psion's eyes glittered with malicious glee as he absentmindedly kept count of the number of innocents slaughtered across the planet. "_The planetary defenses are all but destroyed; we should take control of this world with minimal loss of life._" Psion scowled.

"_That will not be necessary,_" he said through the com. _"Just be sure that every last native is eradicated." _The officer hesitated before responding.

_"Sir?"_

_"You heard me,"_ said Psion, his voice cold. _"Eradicate them all; man, woman... and child." _The officer hesitated, but his response was the correct one.

_"Yes sir." _

* * *

Bill banked hard to the left, forcing his craft into a roll as he narrowly dodged the blast of laser fire. He heard a scream as Red 5's ship was sliced in two by a laser from the immense ship, plummeting to the ground in a cloud of smoke. Suddenly, bay doors began to open on the bottom of the large craft. Bill banked towards one of the doors, and fired into it. He saw a small explosion, but his smile faded as he saw what was coming out. Swarms of pure white ships poured from the bay doors, flying around like agitated hornets. Many of them began to circle the immense mothership, and a great number sped off to other parts of the planet. Suddenly, the ships began to change color and shape: after a few seconds, they all resembled cornerian fighters. Bill's eyes widened, and his trigger finger lifted off the joystick. He fired a shot, and hit a ship. Instantly, he recieved a call from Red 2.

"Red 3!" she shouted over the line, the vixen's face cross. "Who do you think you're shooting?!" Bill dodged out of the way of a hail of fire, not sure who to shoot.

"Sorry, Red 2!" he shouted back. "All the bogies look like us! We should maintain a comm link at all times; at least that way we can ask if the ship flying towards us is an enemy or not!" Bill killed his engines, dropping quickly out of the way of the laser fire. He hit the re-activate button, and pulled a u-turn, coming behind the ship that had shot at him. Suddenly, large ships began to drift towards the ground from the mothership. Hordes of grey-skinned alien soldiers poured out of them into the streets of Corneria city, smashing into buildings, massacreing any they saw. Bill had to tear his eyes away from the carnage in the streets; the only way he could help anyone was by bringing that huge Mothership down. Suddenly, six very familiar ships appeared on the horizon. It was Star Fox!

* * *

Fox and his team sped towards the battle, slicing through enemy ships like paper. He grinned; Savant had equipped their ships with a some kind of special organic radar device. It "saw" Shi'Krii DNA, and displayed any ship carrying it as an enemy on their HUD. He glanced around, quickly evaluating the battlefield. Platoons of Doppelganger soldiers marched through the streets, and enemy ships swarmed around the _Prenuntius_. Fox knew that the Psion was aboard the immense sphere, watching everything. The _Prenuntius _had to be destroyed at all costs, but at the same time, there was a ground battle to wage.

"Slippy! Amanda! Krystal! Take the fight to the ground troops! Falco, Katt and I will take the air battle!" shouted Fox over his comm channel, boosting towards the immense Doppelganger mothership.

"Alright! Just be careful, Fox!" replied Krystal as she veered her ship towards the ground, blasting a path through the veritable river of Shi'Krii. Fox tore his eyes from his wife's ship; there was no time for distraction in combat. He and his two wingmates smashed into the defenses, sending fragments of Doppelganger ship raining to the ground. Laser fire sizzled past their ships, the very air seeming to glow. Fox's eyes widened, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints. Time seemed to slow down for the vulpine pilot, and the battle almost looked like it was floating through jello.

Fox darted in between enemy ships, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Every shot he fired sliced through the engines of another frail Shi'Krii fighter, sending it plummeting towards the unforgiving street in balls of flame and sparking electricity. He was like a scythe in a field, and the Doppleganger ships were just so many blades of grass. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his comm-channel. A small group of Cornerian fighters were flying up to him.

"Fox!"

* * *

Krystal jumped out of her pseudo-Arwing as it landed, drawing her staff and sailing to the ground in one fluid motion. She was instantly surrounded by enemy troops, grey faces and black eyes peering at her. The Shi'Krii footsoldiers slowly began to morph, taking the forms of frightened civilians. Krystal shut her eyes and leapt into the crowd, letting her telepathy guide her. She opened her mind to the environment, her sixth sense mapping everything. She could "see" everything in her head: the doppelgangers in front of her, the ships spiraling above her head, and the flickering lights of the dying behind her. She tore through the Doppelganger hordes with her eyes shut tight, not letting her sight fool her. Krystal flew into the air, and performed a spin kick as she landed, her steel-toed boots smashing into the skull of an enemy soldier as she hammered towards the ground, reducing the creature into grey mush. Krystal hit the ground in a roll, jumping to her feet in a sprint. Laser fire spattered against the ground behind her, very nearly frying the soles off her shoes. The Shi'Krii around her abandoned their guises, knowing that she could see through them with her telepathy, and oriented themselves for combat. The sleek cannons they carried expanded in size, and began to glow. Krystal looked back behind her at the group of Shi'Krii, and her eyes widened. The Doppelgangers opened fire, and Krystal jumped and flipped out of the way of the hail of bolts. Krystal's face grew stern with concentration, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she contorted her body into what seemed almost like some bizarre dance. Krystal grinned; Fox would _love_ to see this! Suddenly, the enemy fire ceased. Krystal landed out of a flip on all fours, panting lightly. She stood, and looked behind her. The Doppelganger troops backed away into a large crescent, and a single fighter landed in the middle of the clearing. It was a sleek, black ship, shaped like a crescent. The landing ramp extended, and someone all too familiar walked out.

"Reaper..." gasped Krystal, her eyes widening. The midnight-furred jackal grinned, drawing her sword. It's blade was shrouded in red energy, coils of crimson wrapping around its cruel, black length.

"Did you miss me?"

* * *

Falco, Katt, Fox, and the remains of Red Squadron darted through the air, firing desperately on the increasing number of enemy ships.

"Do they ever end?!" shouted Red 2 over her comm, blasting an unfortunate ship into smoking shrapnel. Falco grinned.

"Heh, I wouldn't count on it!" he replied, pulling into a barrel roll and a steep drop, causing two enemy ships to crash into each other. "You should have seen the Mothership at its full size!" Suddenly, three black and red ships flew down from the sky: Wolfen fighters.

"Heh heh heh! Did you miss me, arrogant peacock?!" hissed Leon over his intercom.

"Ahhh, two lovely ladies to charm," purred Panther, grinning, a black rose clenched between his jaws. "But where is the lovely Krystal?"

"Who is that jerk?" whispered Red 2. A third wolfen swooped down from the skies, and headed straight for Fox.

"Hey, pup," muttered the one-eyed lupine, his teeth showing in a cruel grin. "Long time no see!"

* * *

So, Star Wolf is fighting for Psion! What will happen? Will Reaper kill Krystal? Will the team face terrible demise? Who is the snarky pilot Red 2? Find out in the next thrilling installment of... Star Fox: Deception!

The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever changing patterns.

- Baeowulf


	12. Battle for Corneria, Part 2

Hello!

This is Baeowulf, but most of this chapter was actually written by my good friend and co-author Jaybird. Anyways, it's good to see you people again; hopefully from now on it will be on a weekly basis. Anyways, we're back, and we sincerely hope that you are enjoying Star Fox: Deception.

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

* * *

Reaper strode forward slowly, dragging Fang along the ground next to her. Bright red sparks sprung from the ground at the tip of her sword, and the jackal's grin widened at the nervous look on Krystal's face.  
"Onyx, please..."  
Reaper sneered, a cold, uncaring look of utter contempt crossing her features. It was not an appealing look.  
"I thought we already had this conversation. Don't call me that."  
Doing her best to stand straight, Krystal put on her most determined look. It wasn't easy. "I'm not afraid of you, Onyx. I've defeated you before."  
"I told you -" a sword slash, which the vixen barely dodged, "- not -" another near miss, "TO CALL ME THAT!"  
Reaper's blade whistled through the air straight at Krystal's skull. She held her staff up feebly, already tiring, and winced as the impact knocked her off her feet. She was amazed at the jackal's speed, she had seemed much slower the last - oh...  
"No Fox here to save your skin here this time, eh, _sister?_"  
oops.

* * *

Fox groaned. Nothing good ever happened when those marks showed up on his radar. Three marks so perpetually annoying he had customized them to sound an alert when they were anywhere nearby. He really didn't need them now, but there they were. Three little blinking red arrows, closing fast. He activated his comm. panel.

"Star Wolf, six o clock."  
"Aw, come on!" moaned Falco. "Will we ever get enough of these guys?"  
"Bring 'em on," Katt growled.

"Alright, they saw us. Remember, that Sci-Pon guy told us to kill them if possible, but I doubt we can. He told us to distract them from the battle, which it looks like we've already done." Wolf relaxed in his padded command seat. "This looks like the easiest job ever. All we need to do is stay in the sky."  
"Excellent," said Panther. "... although it really is a shame that Kry -"  
"shut it, Panther. I'm looking forward to this, try to be less annoying than normal." snapped Leon shortly.  
"Engage!" shouted Wolf.

As the six ships convened in the center of the city, each started firing at the opposing side. The Wolven fighters, strangely, did not seem to actively try to bring down their quarry, however, instead retreating. Fox saw them approach the Red Squadron. Bill was in there.

"Oh, no, you don't." muttered the vulpine angrily, and shot after them.

* * *

Leon sat boredly at his panel as he flipped around in a loop, dove toward the ground at the speed of sound, pulled up only a few hundred feet up, and corkscrewed away from the avian in close pursuit behind him, matching his moves with equal ease. It would have been so easy to turn around, now, and actually bring the fight to the stupid bird, but he knew it would mean that Star Fox could then engage in open combat, exactly what Psion _didn't_ want. So he kept trying to fight off tiredness as he found new ways to keep his ship at a safe distance. A carefully-aimed shot from behind him soared at the tail of his fighter, and he waited until it was about to critically damage his steering before pulling up and watching the bolt hit a giant sign, collapsing it onto the street below. Unfortunately, thought Leon, nobody was hurt. He chuckled, knowing that the blue bird behind him was mentally berating himself for the destruction. Not that it mattered. Leon took every chance he had to fire off volleys at any important-looking structure he saw. Stopping in the middle of a barrel roll to fly upside-down underneath a sky bridge, he could see Wolf and Fox in the distance, similarly engaged...

It took every ounce of self control Fox had to not ram Wolf's ship. A bounty hunter, sure, but helping _Psion_?! This was low, even for Wolf! Fox veered around in a tight turn, pulling his arwing in a tight circle around Wolf's ship. Fox fired, beams of green energy lancing from the cannons of his arwing, but they just barely missed Wolf's ship, disappearing into the distance as they passed just behind the Wolven's tail.

"Getting a little rusty, pup?" snickered Wolf, sneering. Fox's temper rose, threatening to boil over.

"Don't you wish!" Fox killed the engines of his ship, dropping about 100 feet before reactivating them. He swooped up behind Wolf, and nailed the vulpine pilot in the tail with three well placed shots. A small plume of smoke erupted from the rear end of Wolf's ship. Wolf cursed under his breath and Fox grinned widely, chuckling under his breath. "Who's getting rusty, Wolf?" Fox said, smiling before bringing himself back to his senses. "Why are you helping Psion attack Corneria? Don't you have any dignity left whatsoever?!" he shouted into the comm. Wolf laughed.

"Don't act so high and mighty, Fox," he said, his voice sinister. "I know all about what Krystal did to Reaper; you're no better than I am!" Fox snapped.

"How DARE you insult Krystal!" he shouted, wheeling around in rage. He fired again and again, but he was getting careles, and his shots flew wide to the sides. "Krystal told me everything; Reaper betrayed her, not the other way around!" Wolf sat in his ship, easily dodging Fox's poorly-aimed shots.

"Whatever really happened, it doesn't matter now; Reaper's probably wiping Krystal's blood from her sword as we speak!" This sent Fox over the edge. Wolf sat smugly in his cockpit as Fox charged him_. Wait for it, wait for it_, he thought to himself, and just as Fox was about to ram him_, Now_! Wolf hammered on the brakes, pulling behind the Arwing. He sent shot after shot ramming into Fox's ship, and explosions erupted from the vessel. Even after the vessel was mortally wounded, Wolf didn't stop firing until the engines and wings had dissintegrated beneath his fire. As he fired the last shot, an unnatural scream erupted from the cockpit of the Arwing, and it shifted into a white pod, plummeting towards the ground in flames. Wolf wasn't surprised; he'd seen stranger in the past few days. The lupine pilot grinned smugly, holding his craft still in the air for a few moments.

"Goodbye, Fox," he muttered, and zoomed off once more to join the fray.

* * *

Now that she knew that she was on her own, boxed in, with Reaper, Krystal was a lot more cautious than normal. For the most part, she was doing her best to stay as far from her old sister as possible, where her psychic powers gave her a significant advantage. However, she was having trouble aiming while running, and couldn't unleash her earthquake in the middle of Corneria, so she wasn't having any more luck than Reaper was.

"Come on and fight, coward!" her adversary taunted.  
"Ordinarily I would, but you have a sword and I don't." replied the vixen calmly, looking for a way to get back to her ship. She didn't know she would be fighting one, strong, opponent, and so had left her blaster in her borrowed Doppelganger ship. "Stupid," she thought, berating herself.

It was hopeless. Reaper blocked her at every turn. They resumed circling each other, neither wanting to draw closed. Krystal would lose the fight within seconds, and Reaper was all too familiar with the disadvantages of reckless attack. They stopped, merely staring each other down. A stray Doppelganger creeping up behind Reaper, obviously unfamiliar with her status of ally, was skewered without the jackal even turning around. Grey sludge spattered her dark black-purple fur, and she smiled. Her unspoken meaning was clear: _you're next_. Finally fed up with waiting, Reaper lunged forward, her blade flying, but Krystal easily dodged the frantic swipe. Despite her initial strength, Reaper was tiring fast, whereas Krystal needed merely to step aside as Reaper wasted energy. It was strange that she was getting so exhausted. Surely her sword wasn't that heavy... Her sword... Reaper's mental defenses slipped, Krystal easily gained access to her mind, and she saw what the jackal was thinking. And then her uneasy look, her growing restlessness, and her steadily mounting mistakes hit Krystal all at once. She remembered.

She remembered the day they had each graduated, the day she had gotten her staff and Reaper her blade. She remembered the elders telling them about the special properties of each. For the first time in a long time, she remembered the specifics of the ceremony and the tactics associated with the weapons.

The elders stood before her like it was yesterday. Strange that she could see them so clearly after so long...

"Krystal, you have graduated with not a few misdemeanors under your belt, but also with an astounding record for instantly learning anything we present you with. You have displayed an incredible aptitude for navigation in the astral plane with our guides, and can use your powers in combat to devastating effect. You have proved your worth, and you are deserving of this staff, animus. Animus has long been a symbol of your intellect, courage, and power."

Reaper beamed at her. It looked almost foreign on her face to Krystal, now.

"Reaper, you have received every merit of courage and prowess we have to offer. You have rapidly risen through our ranks despite your late induction into the academy, and have surpassed every test of fortitude and strength we have given you. Your skill with a sword is near legendary, and as such we have seen fit to give you Fang. Use it well: its power grows as it saps the strength of your targets. However... It will also draw on your energy if it goes without fuel. It is a sword which only the bravest dare use, and you are our bravest. Your education is completed. Go well, Krystal and Onyx. Find... truth... go forth... when...

Krystal's eyes snapped open as she dodged Reaper's third blow. That was it. Reaper was trying so hard to kill Krystal _now_ because she needed the energy, or her sword would drain her and eventually be only a piece of metal wielded by an exhausted and battered warrior. Which meant... all she needed to do was not die, and she would tire slower than Reaper would. Reaper knew this. _And so do I_, thought Krystal.

But a determined fighter with nothing to lose is still dangerous, and Reaper was by no means down and out. It could take half a minute for her to lose her energy, it could take ten minutes, it could take an hour. Krystal hoped it was soon. Knowing now that her primary goal should be to merely hold Reaper off, rather than to defeat her, The vixen leaped at her opponent. When the dark jackal sneered and raised her sword to defend herself easily, Krystal adjusted her swing to instead hit Fang's hilt. The blow caused a metallic clang as both of them were jarred and thrown off balance by the impact. Krystal, having a lighter weapon, recovered faster and rolled away from Fang's tip as it lodged in the ground beside her.

Reaper gasped at her, realizing that Krystal was no longer trying to attack her directly. The smile playing at Krystal's lips was all the explanation she needed. Krystal knew. It was time to end the battle, _NOW._

* * *

Katt wasn't one to lose her cool in a combat situation, so Panther's inane drivel didn't really affect her. Nevertheless, she kept her lines open; partially so that her team could contact her, partially because Panther was just distracting himself.

"I'd like to see you again once this is over."  
Katt was silent.

"Really, you're being quite impolite," Panther said as he spiraled around a skyscraper before flying off. Katt easily followed, but couldn't get close enough to fire safely. Clearly, this is what they all wanted.  
"Shut it, loser."  
"Ooo, hostile! Almost a bit... feisty..." Panther raised an eyebrow.  
"Have your fun, and then stop deluding yourself. You're so desperate now that you -"  
"Okay, I can take a hint. Think you could at least hook me up with Krystal? Is that so unreasonable? Really, I'd love it if we could just -"

And on, and on, and on. Katt realized that it was by now so easy for Panther to come up with stupid things to say that he could do it unconsciously, and without impacting his flying...

She casually tapped the "mute" button on her panel and grinned as Panther's mouth continued moving wordlessly.

A red light flared behind her, and a second later an explosion rocked the ship. Katt quickly checked her shields, then her radar: 60%, with another wolven fighter behind her. She closed her communications to all but her team and restored the volume. "Fox, Falco, there's another fighter on my tail. I think we actually need to work together here, there's more of them than us."  
Falco's face appeared. "I'm kinda busy here, Leon's learned a thing or two recently about flying."  
"Fox? Could I borrow you from Wolf for a moment?"

"Fox?"  
"Foxie? You okay over there?"

Then Katt saw a plume of smoke and the wreckage of a doppelganger ship far below. She panicked, then forced herself to stay calm. _He's fine,_ she thought. _I just didn't have my communications open to the eject pods, he's just fine... He can go help Krystal and Amanda and Slippy... please?_  
"Fox is a good pilot, Katt, he'll be fine."  
"I hope so... Let's go. Two of us, three of them. I'll see if I can lure them over to -"  
"I don't think so. Just stay in the air, I shouldn't have too much trouble pushing Leon over. Falco out."

* * *

Fox was anything but fine. The navigations on the eject pod were completely foreign to him, and he had managed to kill the engines by pressing random buttons. _Foolish... _This was definitely new. He was free falling, at a random angle, without any way of stopping or steering. All he could hope was that he could jump. His face brightened as he saw Krystal ahead of him, holding her own against Reaper...

Reaper screamed as she charged Krystal. With no source of energy nearby, she had lost steam fast. She knew she was on her last legs, but Krystal was _right there_... It was so painful to know that she was seconds away from finally avenging herself, but simply couldn't do it. If there had been a horde of soldiers backing her up, it would have been easy: kill the soldiers, use their energy to fight Krystal. But she was alone and unguarded, and as such was completely safe from the most feared warrior in the entire system. Talk about humiliating.

Krystal easily sidestepped her swing and knocked Fang out of her hands. The enchanted blade lost its glow and skidded to the other side of their makeshift arena, stopping about twenty feet from where they each stood. Reaper considered running for it, but knew she would be unconscious before she got halfway there. Instead, she stepped away from Krystal's staff, barely dodging the expected blow, and drew a long, curved dagger from within her gauntlet. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she whispered "I'll kill you yet."

Fox's elation at watching Krystal defeat Reaper quickly turned to horror as the jackal drew a wicked knife and lunged at his wife. Focused on the battle, he realized he was nearing the ground far too late, and bailed out of the falling pod only a few dozen feet from the ground.

Krystal gasped as Reaper stepped away from her swing and drew a dagger from her gauntlet. Something caught her eye, a white ovular pod falling from above them, and she looked. Reaper saw her opportunity and leaped forward, dagger outstretched.

* * *

Looks like Krystal's in trouble! What will happen to Fox? Will Corneria be destroyed? Will Psion prevail? What is the truth behind Krystal and Reaper? Only time may tell...

The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever-changing patterns.

- Baeowulf


	13. Battle for Corneria, Part 3

Hello again! This is a chapter from me, Baeowulf. My co-author's been preoccupied lately (and to be frank, so have I!) but I have managed to get up another chapter! Thanks for reading!

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

* * *

Slippy watched the viewscreen in front of him intently, his body nestled in a pod-seat, a joystick clutched in his webbed hands. Doppelgangers milled about Corneria City, and fired furiously on his tank. Slippy grinned as their shots bounced off the armor; Savant had made some high quality stuff. Amanda was above him, her feet firmly planted on the footrests of the tank's main turret, blasting away Doppelgangers with every shot of the powerful cannon. Slippy jabbed the trigger on the joystick, blasting the Shi'Krii soldiers before the LandMaster into smithereeens as he unleashed bright bolts of pulsing green energy from the tank's mini-guns, the rapid fire peppering the enemy forces with bolts of death and destruction. Slippy's eyes widened as he hammered the gun controls and saw immense blasts of energy from Amanda's turred hurtling into enemy forces; for every Doppelganger they destroyed, two more seemed to take their place. The grey aliens swarmed out of buildings, alleys, and side streets, leaping into battle.

"There's too many of them!" shouted Amanda as she swiveled the turret around to intercept a Shi'Krii soldier who had jumped straight at the tank, blasting it's grey body into a rain of tiny droplets of ooze.

"I know!" replied Slippy, thinking fast. _Is it time?_ he thought, pulling a small device out of his pocket. _I think it is!_ "Amanda!" he shouted, climbing out of his seat. "On my mark, we're going to abandon ship!"

"What?!" shouted Amanda, looking down at her husband incredulously. "Are you crazy?!" Slippy chuckled.

"Perhaps, but this is the only way we'll survive this!" Slippy pulled out his blaster, and shot a hole in the floor of the tank before jumping out. Amanda rolled her eyes, and followed him through the hole, ducking as she hit the ground, crawling underneath the tank. Slippy pulled a small device out of his pocket, and began tapping a complex sequence of buttons. Doppelgangers closed in all around them, and it was all Amanda could do to keep them at bay, firing madly into the advancing crowd.

"Hurry up Slippy!" she shouted; they were running out of time.

"Done!" called Slippy. He leaped across the underbelly of the tank, tackling his wife to the ground, and doing his best to compress them into as small a space as possible. Then the device went off. An immense shockwave burst from the tiny device, visibly rippling the air around it. Dopperlgangers shrieked as the vibations flung them back and tore their malleable bodies to pieces. Windows smashed, and the tank was blown away, disintegrating into splashes of grey goo as its biological structure was deconstructed by the shockwave. Finally, the rumbling ended. Slippy stood up, smiling.

"It worked!" he shouted, thrusting his arms into the air in triumph. "I can't believe it actually worked!" Amanda pulled herself from the ground, rubbing her head.

"What was that?" she asked, standing slowly. "Whatever it was, it gave me a big headache." Slippy smiled.

"I studied the structure of the Shi'Krii while aboard the _Ensthiasmus_, and I found that brcause of their cells' ability to shift position, a big enough shockwave could cause their bodies to lose coherence and fall apart!" he said, excited. Slippy frowned. "Unfortunately, I haven't found out how to get it so that it doesn't destroy the vehicles that Savant gives us, so we're a bit out of a tank right now, and it's pretty harmful to aircraft flight systems." Amanda smiled, walking over to her husband.

"You really are crazy," she said before planting a kiss on his forehead. She giggled as Slippy's face went red, and pulled her blaster out of it's holster. "Come on, lets go kill some shapeshifters."

* * *

Alex swore as she felt a shockwave slam into her ship, wrestling with the controls. She was doing better than the enemy ships around her, those had been reduced to mush, but her flight instruments were failing, and she was starting to lose altitude and was having difficulty steering. Suddenly, she felt a large crash in the back of her ship; she had been shot.

"This isn't good, this is not good, this is NOT good!" she muttered as her ship plummeted towards the ground, struggling to keep it aloft. "Come on, come on..." she whispered, pulling on the throttle with all her strength. It was no use; the throttle was jammed.

"This is Red 2 to Red leader! Come in Red leader!" she shouted through her comm. link, still trying to level out.

"What is it, Alex?" came Bill's reply, and Alex thanked whatever greater power might exist that her communications systems still functioned.

"I've been hit, and an odd shockwave has disabled most of my flight controls!" she shouted militarily. "I'm going down! Permission to abandon ship!" she shouted, her hand over the eject button. Bill swore through the intercom.

"You don't need my permission to live! Get out of there! I'll try to extract you later! Red leader, out!" The comm. link cut off, and Alex nodded. She slammed her fist on the eject button, and waited for her seat to shoot up out of the top of the cockpit. It didn't.  
"Oh, COME ON!" screamed Alex in frustration. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" There was no time to lose. Alex smashed her gloved fist through the glass panel on the wall, unbuckling her flight restraints and strapping on the emergency parachute inside. She turned around in her seat, and drew her blaster, blasting off the hinges that kept the flight canopy secured. The canopy flew off in the wind, and Alex jumped out the top of her ship, the fire bursting from it's rear engines singing the fur on her tail as she jumped out. She pulled her chute. A large, red piece of fabric billowed out behind her... just before it was shot to pieces. Alex's jaw dropped in amazement; the universe was out to kill her. There, she was convinced; the universe was out to kill her. From when her parents were killed and her house destroyed in the Lylat wars, to when she had been shot down in the middle of a swarm of Aparoids, she had had the feeling that something was out to get her. Now, with her ship failing, her being shot down, her eject button not fuctioning, and her parachute being shredded to pieces, she knew that the world wanted her dead. Alex looked around, her eyes darting back and forth as she angled her body to offer the most air resistance as possible, and then she saw it; a lone enemy ship, flying slowly, and coming directly below her. The young vixen counted off the seconds in her head, slicing through the lines that connected her to the useless piece of red fabric in the air behind her with her combat knife, and angled her body to get the most speed possible. She flew towards the enemy ship, and pulled her chute pack under her body as she crashed into the ship. The ship rocked under her weight, and she shot open the canopy, grabbing the pilot by the head. It was a strange, grey creature, with large, black eyes, and a slender, almost emaciated body. It made a strange trilling noise in surprise, and reached towards her with a clawed hand. Alex hoisted it out of its seat, and tossed it over the edge of the ship. Suddenly, the ship started to go down. Alex climbed inside, but the controls were foriegn to her, and she had no idea how to work them. Cursing all the way, Alex plummeted towards the ground in the ship. Just before it smashed into a building, Alex leaped out of the cockpit, sailing through the air. The ship exploded behind her, burning her back and sending her smashing through the window of the building opposite the one the ship had crashed into. The vixen cried out in pain as shards of glass from the window sliced through her flesh, opening cuts across her body, and she smashed into the floor of what seemed to be an office building. She slid across the floor, crashing into chairs and desks along the way, before the pile of debris that had accumulated around her body stopped her movement. Alex pulled herself to her feet, clutching her side. "Shoot, I think I broke a rib... or three," she muttered, wincing. She looked up... and saw a large crowd of civilians staring at her, and at the path her body had smashed through the large conference room. She looked down at herself: her flight suit was a mess, and she was covered in cuts and singe marks. She looked back at the civilians. "What? I've had worse."

* * *

Fox's eyes widened as he saw Reaper lunge towards Krystal, her dagger leading. "Krystal! Look out!" he called, but she couldn't hear him. Then Fox noticed that his pod would likely impact the ground in aproximately 3 seconds. Not thinking, he blasted a hole in the roof of the pod and clambered out in one swift motion, standing on top of the pod. He saw the pod nearing the two combatants, Reaper and Krystal, and jumped.

* * *

Reaper lunged forward, grinning as her dagger neared Krystal's flesh. She revelled as it pierced her armor, sinking into the blue vixen. Reaper grinned as Krystal cried out in pain... and was promptly struck by an immense, grey object. Reaper's hand flew from the dagger as her body was carried backwards by the force of the impact, flying through the air as the grey ball smashed into her side, sending her careening down the city streets. Reaper howled in rage as she was torn from her prey, but her cries were ended as the grey pod smashed her into a pile of concrete rubble, sending her spiralling into unconciousness.

* * *

Krystal howled in agony as the serrated dagger was thrust into her side, collapsing to the street on one knee. The blue vixen's eyes shot wide with the pain, and her vision was blurred by tears. She looked down, trembling, and sighed shakily in relief: the dagger hurt, but it had missed anything vital, and wasn't going to mean yet _another_ day waking up from a near-death experience. Krystal grimaced, wrapping her hand around the dagger's hilt, her fingers brushing her abdomen... and wrenched the black blade out of her side. Krystal screamed in pain as the jagged blade tore through her flesh, letting all the pain out in one, feral cry. Panting in pain, the vixen stood shakily, clutching her side. She looked around; Corneria City was a war zone. Crumbled buildings surrounded her, and the streets were torn and broken. Cars had carreened off the road, smashing into buildings and shops, and Krystal could vaguely see the bodies of those inside. Vaguely Lylatian shapes littered the street, charred and burned beyond recognition. Krystal's eyes went wide as she took it all in: this was worse than the Aparoids: this was a level of destruction she hadn't seen since the death of Cerinia. Suddenly, she saw a green bolt of energy whizz past her body. Krystal whipped around, and saw Fox standing there holding his blaster levelled at her. The vulpine fired again, and Krystal flipped the dagger at him, catching him in the forehead. THe dagger sank into the doppelganger's skull, and its body fell backwards as it died, reverting to its true form before dissolving into a puddle of grey ooze. Krystal shuddered; just a week ago, she would never have been able to do something like that, but now, after fighting the Shi'Krii for just a few weeks, such things had become commonplace to her. How many Arwings had she shot down, trusting her instruments that they were not real? How many wearing the guise of her friends, her family, or innocent civilians had she gunned down? Krystal shook her head; this was not how war was supposed to work. Krystal concentrated on her wound, using her mental energy to stem the blood flow and close over the wound. As she looked down, she reminded herself that this was not true healing, and that she still retained the damage she had taken from the dagger, but was now no longer bleeding. Suddenly, Krystal realized that Reaper was gone. She looked around frantically, rolling across the ground and grabbing her staff, but Reaper was nowhere to be found; only a grey pod that lay buried in a pile of concrete rubble. Krystal cautiously stalked the streets, jogging alertly, keeping watch. Suddenly, she felt a hand shoot out from behind her and grab her shoulder. She whipped around, ready to attack, but a strong arm caught hers, and wrenched her arms behind her back.

"Calm down, Krystal, it's me!" whispered a voice behind her, and she instantly knew who it was. Krystal stopped straining against the grip, and turned to look at her captor. Sure enough, it was the orange vulpine that she had fallen in love with those years ago: Fox.

"Fox?" she asked, wondering if it was really him. He nodded, and she could feel his mind opening up, flowing into hers, igniting the special bond they had as a couple as their minds melded into one for just a brief second. Krystal smiled as she subsided from the warm feeling, and nodded up at Fox, who released his grip on her arms. She turned around in his arms, wrapping him in a warm hug. Fox chuckled. "What?" Krystal asked him, slightly offended.

"Oh, it's nothing, Krys," he replied, grinning. "It's just that this isn't exactly the most romantic scene ever!" he said jokingly. Krystal laughed, a musical sound that sent chills running down Fox's spine. The young lovers broke out of their embrace, drawing their weapons, forcing their minds back into the moment. Romance could come later; for now, they were soldiers, and they needed to be as sharp as possible in order to survive. Suddenly, Fox's communicator began to beep: it was Slippy! Fox raised his wrist to his mouth, speaking quietly into the device.

"What is it, Slip?" he asked, wondering why his friend had contacted him.

"Fox!" said the amphibian happily, "we lost the landmaster!" Fox's face scrunched up in confusion.

"And that's a _good _thing?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, er, no," Slippy admitted, "but it gave me a chance to test out my new bomb, and it worked! Come see! I'm, loading my coordinates onto your map!" Fox looked down, and saw his wrist radar begin to bleep, pointing him in Slippy's direction. Fox rolled his eyes.

"Roger that, Slip," he said, and ended the communications. Fox motioned for Krystal to follow, and the two darted silently down the city streets

* * *

Wolf slowly circled around the battlefield, taking random shots at the remaining Cornerian fighters. "Reaper, this is Wolf, target 1 eliminated," he said into his comm, waiting for a response. There was none. "Reaper, This is Wolf," he repeated. "Fox is down, have you taken care of Krystal?" Again, there was no response. "Reaper, do you copy?" he asked again, this time his voice a bit more urgent. "Reaper if this is a joke..." growled the lupine, angling his ship towards his teammate's last known location. "Reaper, do you - " that's when Wolf saw it: the slender, curved, black blade lying on the ground, its pommelstone glowing a bright red: Fang. Wolf's eyes widened. "Reaper?"

* * *

Ooh! What is going to happen? Is Reaper dead? Will Fox and his friends manage to destroy the _Prenuntius_?

Only time may tell...

The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever changing patterns.

- Baeowulf


End file.
